Bill Overview
Title: Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Act
Description: This bill authorizes competitive grants to enhance services for school-aged youth with mental and behavioral health issues that can lead to poor academic performance, depression, and other negative outcomes. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) may award the grants to state or local educational agencies or Indian tribes. SAMHSA must ensure geographic representation, including with respect to rural areas, in the distribution of grant funds.
Sponsors: Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV]
Target Audience
Population: School-aged youth (ages 5-18) globally
Estimated Size: 53000000
- The bill focuses on school-aged youth, which typically includes individuals from ages 5 to 18.
- According to the United Nations, there are approximately 1.2 billion youth aged 15-24 across the globe, but including younger children would increase this number significantly.
- Schools are present in almost every community worldwide, implying the potential reach can be global if similar measures are adopted in other countries following a model set by the bill.
- Mental health issues among the youth are a global concern, with many countries reporting increasing rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal tendencies among young people.
Reasoning
- The policy targets improving mental health services for school-aged youth aged 5 to 18 in the U.S. primarily through educational institutions, potentially preventing negative outcomes related to mental health issues.
- The policy is geographically inclusive, ensuring representation across different types of areas including rural places, which is crucial given the diversity in population density across the U.S.
- Considering the policy budget, it aims to enhance services without overextending during its initial phases. This suggests cautious optimism in terms of significant changes but might not cover all potentially affected individuals initially.
- The diverse backgrounds and needs of school-aged youth, including factors like geographic, socio-economic, and cultural differences, will affect the degree to which they feel the policy's impact.
- Some individuals and communities might remain unaffected initially due to limited resources and the stage-wise expansion of the program.
Simulated Interviews
high school student (rural Colorado)
Age: 15 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I think having more mental health resources available in our school would be really helpful.
- It’s often hard to get help when the closest counselor is far away.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 3 |
high school student (Detroit, Michigan)
Age: 17 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I wish our school had more mental health support. The teachers sometimes don't understand what I need.
- If we had more counselors, maybe I wouldn't be in detention as much.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 4 |
elementary school student (suburban Texas)
Age: 10 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 7.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I miss my mom and sometimes school is really hard.
- I wish the teachers would notice when I'm sad.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 3 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 3 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 2 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 2 |
middle school student (Los Angeles, California)
Age: 14 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 3
Duration of Impact: 8.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I often feel like there's nobody to talk to about the bullying.
- More mental health support might make school less scary.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 3 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 3 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 3 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 2 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 2 |
middle school student (New York City, New York)
Age: 12 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- It’s hard to talk about what’s happening at home and school doesn’t help.
- Having someone to talk to at school about my feelings would be nice.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 3 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 3 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 2 |
high school student (urban Ohio)
Age: 16 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 3
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 9/20
Statement of Opinion:
- There is a lot of pressure to get good grades but not enough help for students like me.
- I think having mental health resources might reduce some of my stress.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 3 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 3 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 3 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 2 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 2 |
high school student (rural Montana)
Age: 18 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I sometimes feel like I have to handle my problems alone.
- If the policy brought more help here, it might ease some of the burden.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
middle school student (Phoenix, Arizona)
Age: 13 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 11/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I feel lost in the new school, and not many people speak my language.
- More support might help me adjust better.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 3 |
elementary school student (Chicago, Illinois)
Age: 11 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I worry a lot about arguments at home and have no one to talk to about it.
- School could be a safe place if there were people to help.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 3 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 3 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 3 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 2 |
high school student (suburban North Carolina)
Age: 16 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 8.0 years
Commonness: 14/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Having more mental health resources would mean less waiting for help at school.
- It might help me and others who don’t always speak up about their issues.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $350000000 (Low: $300000000, High: $400000000)
Year 2: $300000000 (Low: $250000000, High: $350000000)
Year 3: $250000000 (Low: $200000000, High: $300000000)
Year 5: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Year 10: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Year 100: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Key Considerations
- Ensuring equal access to grants across diverse geographic areas, including rural communities, to maximize impact.
- Managing administrative costs and ensuring efficient use of funds are critical for the program's success.
- Monitoring program outcomes to ensure that grants are achieving desired improvements in youth mental health and academic performance will be important.
- Collaboration with existing mental health and education frameworks can amplify impact and streamline service delivery.