(The Center Square) – Most of Wisconsin’s high school students say they are anxious or depressed, and that has the state’s superintendent of schools asking for more money.
Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction on Tuesday released the results from the latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
“Fifty-nine percent of Wisconsin high school students who took the Youth Risk Behavior Survey last year told us that they dealt with at least one mental health challenge within the past year,” Superintendent Jill Underly said at a news conference. “Think about that for a second almost six out of every 10 Wisconsin high schoolers are telling us that they feel anxious, depressed, or suicidal.”
The survey is now a semi-annual thing, offered every other year. In the spring 2023, 1,882 Wisconsin students in 42 public, charter and alternative high schools took the test. There are nearly 850,000 school students in Wisconsin, meaning less than one-half of one-percent of children took the survey.
Still, Underly said the results tell a tale of a mental health crisis.
“This is not a new crisis. We’ve seen these trends build for a long time now, but in recent years it has accelerated.” Underly added.
The coronavirus outbreak, and the school shutdown that came along with it, seemed to have made Wisconsin school children more anxious and more depressed.
Underly, as she has in years past, focused on the mental health responses of LGBTQ kids.
“Seventy-nine percent of lesbian, gay, or bisexual youth report experiencing anxiety. Sixth-three percent say they experience depression, and 40% of considered suicide,” Underly explained. “This is not something we want to hear but it’s something that needs to be heard.”
The numbers are similar to the last Youth Risk Behavior Survey from 2021.
Underly also repeated her calls from 2021 for more mental health spending in Wisconsin’s schools.
“We must continue integrating mental wellness into our educational systems, working together to create a culture of understanding and empathy,” Underly said. “One that prioritizes mental well-being, alongside academic achievement. We must encourage kids to seek help, and we must make sure that hell is readily accessible when they need it.”