(WXYZ) — The latest data on youth mental health is being called a cry for help.
Reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 37% of high school students reported poor mental health during COVID.
44% reported persistent sadness and hopelessness in the past year.
It's a problem being tackled locally in therapy offices and school districts and the reason more and more schools are opting into the Trails Program, an evidence-based mental health service.
A universal health screening showed Detroit public school administrators just how bad the crisis really is.
During the 2021 school year, approximately half of k-5 kids reported mental health struggles. At least 40% lost a loved one.
"Those are little people. Those are 5-year-olds basically to about 10 years old. Half of them expressed that they felt sad, mad, worried, and anxious," Deputy Superintendent Alycia Merriweather said.
Merriweather is a longtime educator and so was her dad. He passed but his passion for supporting students still brings tears to her eyes.
"Every single school there are people who dedicate their lives to take care of our kids," she said.
She says all of Detroit's k-8 schools have a clinician and a 3 tier approach.
Each tier provides a level of support with 3 being the most intense.
Kids under 14 need permission to get the more comprehensive services.
"The additional services that we have, we have across all schools. But if the parent doesn't sign the consent, we can not offer the services. It is illegal," Merriweather said.
She says a lot of these services are funded by COVID relief dollars.
Whether that money will be provided next year is still up in the air.
"When you have behavioral health issues you are either going to allocate the funding necessary or you're not. Either way, there is consequence," Merriweather said.
Part of a proposal for the 2023 budget includes loan assistance to attract and retain behavioral health professionals and a day treatment program for kids in the child welfare system who are struggling in school and home settings.
