The recently published annual report from the state’s Child Fatality Task Force details the increasing mental health needs faced by North Carolina’s children and outlines steps the state should take to promote the safety and well-being of children. A second report from the Hopeful Futures Campaign details the inadequacy of our state lawmakers’ response.
The Child Fatality Task Force’s report focus on student mental health reflects a growing recognition of the challenges facing today’s youth. The report does an excellent job of documenting these growing challenges. It makes for a difficult read.
Through 2019, all the trends are heading in the wrong direction. The percentage of high school students who feel sad or hopeless and the percentage who feel alone in their life are both creeping upwards. The percentage who feel good about themselves is falling. Most distressingly, suicidal behaviors are also trending in the wrong direction.
The data shows that suicidal behaviors are shockingly prevalent among LGBTQ youth. Nearly half of high school students identifying as gay, lesbian, or bisexual report having seriously considered suicide in the past 12 months. This compares to 16 percent among students identifying as heterosexual.
These discrepancies are quite notable given the recent efforts of right-wing reactionaries to ban books that feature LGBTQ characters and themes, and having homosexuality described as “filth” by the Lieutenant Governor. Read more