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 Andrew Erhart
School Age Systems Specialist
CDPHE
Understanding Children’s Mental Health in
Colorado
In May, Children’s Hospital Colorado held a press conference to shed light on the Pediatric Mental Health Crisis in our state. While this may appear to be a result of increased suicide attempts and worsening children and youth mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, the reality is more complex. Children’s mental health has been a concern for public health officials for years, and despite increased visibility and attention on children and youth suicide attempts, there has not been a significant change in suicide rates compared to previous years.
What We Know
Nearly one in three children in Colorado (29.5%) report feeling so sad or hopeless for two weeks in a row that they stop doing their usual activities, a common symptom of depression. While this is already a staggering statistic, the numbers are even more concerning when you look at specific groups of young people. About 46 percent of lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) students say they seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, more than three times the rate of heterosexual students (13.8 percent). Two of five female students reported symptoms of depression. That’s more than twice the rate of male students (19.2 percent). Almost 15 percent of multiracial students reported attempting suicide. In comparison, white students were less than half as likely to attempt suicide at 6.9 percent. (For more information, see this report from Colorado Health Institute). These disparities reflect systems of discrimination, trauma, and bias that persist in our society and in our healthcare system. It is necessary to have support and programs that are culturally supportive and inclusive of all children’s needs and perspectives. Additionally, understanding how each child’s unique life experiences can represent risk or resilience to mental health challenges is one step towards addressing the mental health needs of all children in our state.
Understanding Suicide
It is important to recognize that suicide is always a complex issue that involves the interaction of many aspects of a person’s life. There is never a single reason why someone will attempt or die by suicide. For a young person, factors that could contribute to a suicidal crisis might include: stress, feeling socially isolated, lack of sleep or irregular sleeping patterns, exposure to bullying, mental health conditions, adverse childhood experiences and traumatic experiences, discrimination about one’s identity, periods of transition, and economic stressors. (For more information, see resources from the Office of Suicide Prevention).
Importantly, the majority of people who experience suicidal despair do not go on to attempt or die by suicide. The CDC estimates that for every death by suicide, there are about 30 non-fatal suicide attempts and about 230 individuals who experience suicidal ideation. One takeaway from this data is that the vast majority of people who feel suicidal do not attempt or die by suicide. This means that stories of people who find the supports and connections that work for them are the most common outcome, and a crucial part of our prevention work is to hear and elevate stories of people who have gotten through their suicidal despair so that we can strengthen these existing supports and identify gaps.
It is essential for suicide prevention to continue to mitigate the risk factors that could contribute to someone feeling suicidal and to bolster protective factors that reduce the likelihood of someone feeling suicidal or attempting to die by suicide. Continue reading about what we can do about pediatric mental health here.
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Rachel Hutson
