Gaps Form As Youth Mental Health Challenges Rise
By Michael Standaert
North Dakota News Cooperative
With over two decades as a counselor in Langdon area schools in rural Cavalier County and as a clinical counselor with Catholic Charities, Barbara Boesl has seen shifts in youth mental health.
Anxiety has supplanted depression as a primary diagnosis for those struggling, both on the youth and adult side, she believes.
“My belief is that (increase in anxiety) is connected to the lack of real connections,” Boesl said. “In the smartphones, that is a connectedness that’s not really connected. It’s so easy to go into distraction, but we crave real, true connection.”
That disconnectedness has been a long time coming as smartphones and other screens dominate the lives of so many at work, at home and during social interaction. The pandemic supercharged screen use, for better and for worse.
A new study from the nonprofit group Kids Count North Dakota released in September finds that mental health conditions for youth have worsened in the past five years, with 23% of children and adolescents in the state suffering from one or more mental health conditions.
More than 35% of high school youth in North Dakota reported feeling sad or hopeless each day for more than a two-week period last year, and 18% of high school students seriously considered suicide in 2023, according to the data.
There are many more variables besides screen time alone, however. Those can range from issues with bullying, to insecure home environments that may include abuse or addiction, to poor diets or lack of nutrition, to sedentary lifestyles, to a sense of isolation from family and friends.
Widening gaps
The report also found gaps for youth in accessing mental health services in the state.
A total of 21 counties have no mental health providers specifically working with youth and 46 counties have mental health care worker shortages. That means fewer social workers, clinical counselors and school psychologists available to see kids with the greatest needs.
Due to those gaps, youth often rely on school counselors or other teachers for mental health support.
A total of 35 counties do not meet the American School Counselor Association recommended ratio of one counselor to 250 students. This leaves around 87% of students in North Dakota’s public schools underserved.
Nick Archuleta, president of educator advocacy group North Dakota United, said he believes schools in the state don’t have enough counselors and most have a wide range of duties besides meeting with youth with emotional, behavioral or socialization issues.