By Yelena Bagdasaryan, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates 

Mental health is an integral part of kids’ everyday lives and a focus area nationally as mental health issues among youth have increased in recent years. Addressing these concerns is vital for youth since mental health struggles are leading causes for poor health outcomes and difficulties in school and relationships.

Since the pandemic, mental health among youth has declined drastically in Kentucky, which can be attributed to many factors, including the negative impacts of social media use. Supporting the mental health needs of Kentucky kids includes those who students interact with at home and school, and our lawmakers.

Kentucky Youth Advocates has recently launched a series with WEKU Radio’s Eastern Standard on youth mental health, discussing these challenges with professionals and leaders focused on improving outcomes of young people.

One of the most important sources of support for children experiencing mental health struggles is their parents or caregivers. Children and young adults that can cope with mental health in a positive manner have a better quality of life. However, children cannot achieve that without support and guidance from the adults around them.

Parents can support their child’s mental health needs in a number of ways.

  • Checking in with them regularly and recognizing the signs when something might be wrong
  • Connecting them to care when it is needed at Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs), Behavioral Health Service Organizations (BHSO), or with a school-based provider
  • Talking to them about available crisis support resources such as the 988 Lifeline

Public school students in Kentucky report a significant decrease in motivation and engagement in recent years but having a trusted adult at school can help. Data shows that students who communicated with their teachers more often were less likely to experience a decrease in motivation compared to students that did not. One thing that these students all had in common was an increased desire for access to mental health services in schools.

Many Kentucky schools have taken steps to provide safe environments for kids, including eliminating the use of corporal punishment in classrooms – which was a long-time priority of the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children.

But educators and school districts can do more to ensure students meet their mental health needs in various ways.

  • Recognizing the signs of a problem and connecting students to a school-based provider
  • Participating in mental health awareness trainings or developing school mental health programs
  • Participating in Medicaid billing for school-based providers

As highlighted in the 2023 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book, it is clear that mental health services are a necessity for youth to lead healthy lives. Kentucky kids need support from lawmakers to improve their health and well-being. By sustaining funding for school-based mental health providers and increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates for mental health providers we can ensure kids have support where they need it.

It takes a collective effort to provide mental health resources for students in a setting that works for them. Join KYA in advocating for investments to increase access to mental health support and make a difference in the lives of Kentucky kids.