New Report Demonstrates That Most Young People Are Uncomfortable Talking About Mental Health

Nonprofit Shares Data Collected from Depression Education Program from 2021 through 2024

CHICAGO, Sept. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Erika's Lighthouse, a national nonprofit on a mission to break down the stigma surrounding mental health and provide free depression education and suicide prevention programs to any school, anywhere, today released the findings from its 2024 Help-Seeking Around Mental Health Report which collected data during the 2021-2022, 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years from partner schools across the U.S. that are teaching the nonprofit's Depression Awareness and Depression Education & Suicide Awareness programs.

"Adolescents are experiencing mental distress at significant rates, which means early identification and intervention of mental health challenges is key to preventing suicide," said Brandon Combs, executive director of Erika's Lighthouse. "Our new report highlights the progress that has been made with youth seeking help from trusted adults through our education programs. However, there is still more work to be done among schools with predominantly Black and Hispanic student populations when it comes to identifying a trusted adult, further identifying the need to implement more school and community-wide initiatives around depression education."

Key Findings

• 12% of students were more comfortable talking with a trusted adult about their mental health at school after completing the Erika's Lighthouse program
• 93% of students identified a teacher as a trusted adult but only 50% were comfortable talking about their mental health at school
• Students that reported being uncomfortable talking to a trusted adult fell by 23% from pre-to-post program
• The gains from pre-program to post-program were more substantial for students in predominantly Black and Hispanic schools by 9% and 11% respectively, compared to 7% for students in predominately White schools
• 96% of students identified a parent or grandparent as a trusted adult, and over 75% were comfortable talking to a trusted adult home about their mental health

Young people, when equipped with the right tools, can support their mental health and advocate for their health. Youth help-seeking and self-reporting is a key factor in supporting teens' mental health. However, Erika's Lighthouse report demonstrates that many young people are uncomfortable talking about mental health with adults. It is important to identify ways to reduce this discomfort and help teens engage in meaningful conversations with trusted adults around mental health.

Report Methodology
A quantitative approach was used with diverse samples of students grades 5-12 across the U.S education system. The surveys were completed by students who participated in the Level II and Level III Erika's Lighthouse programs with both pre-program and post-program surveys. A total of 18,077 pre-program surveys were completed and 15,271 post-program surveys across 515 schools. This group was broadly representative of the U.S. schools, including private, public and charter schools, as well as urban, suburban and rural. Students represented various socio-economic groups, race and ethnicities, and geographies. Student demographic data was gathered from school-reported, public databases.

Erika's Lighthouse one-to-four-day classroom education programs are designed to be implemented within school communities by school professionals to teach mental health literacy, depression education and suicide prevention with the goal of reducing stigma, normalizing conversations, encouraging good mental health and, especially, encourage help-seeking.

To read the full report or to learn more about Erika's Lighthouse, please visit https://erikaslighthouse.org/.

About Erika's Lighthouse 
Erika's Lighthouse is a national nonprofit that believes every child deserves good mental health. We are on a mission to provide free mental health programs to any school, anywhere. Recognizing schools are the heart of every community, our programs work to educate and empower students, families and educators about mental health, depression and suicide.

Media Contact
Kelly Maicon
[email protected]
919.741.9784

SOURCE Erika's Lighthouse

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