Giving Compass' Take:

• Sheryl Nance-Nash explains how schools on Long Island are working to address the growing mental health crisis among young adults. 

• How can funders help schools better serve students? What are the underlying drivers of the mental health crisis? 

• Learn about the funding gap for mental health. 

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the second leading cause of death among people ages 15 to 19.

“More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease, combined,” says Jeffrey Friedman, CEO of Central Nassau (CN) Guidance & Counseling Services, a Hicksville-based nonprofit specializing in substance use disorder treatment and mental health. “Every day in America, there is an average of more than 5,400 suicide attempts by those in grades 7 through 12.”

The organization’s Project Forward offers students counseling treatments to work through topics like romantic relationships, social media, and cyberbullying among others.

He says suicide among young people on Long Island continues to climb and spread. Depression doesn’t discriminate.

“I work in two very different communities,” he says. “They differ in economic status, ethnicity and school systems. Yet both communities lost young people to suicide this year alone. Some of them were still in high school, while others were recent high school graduates.”

“Schools do amazing work on Long Island,” says Gooding. “Lately there has been a big push in schools to teach mindfulness and provide students with other tools for coping. Schools are beginning to talk about drug prevention, having wellness weeks, and bringing a greater awareness to mental health. For example, recently Northport High School did a wellness week where they talked about mental health and taught mindfulness and yoga practices.”

The issues are multilayered. Getting teens to talk is no small matter. They can be hesitant to see a counselor because of what someone may think.

“Sometimes parents have a difficult time understanding what normal teen behavior is, and what is problematic,” he says. “They didn’t grow up with social media, so they may not understand the stress young people are under.”

School social workers have their hands full.

HELP IS AVAILABLE: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 800-273-TALK (8255)

Read the full article about how schools are addressing mental health by Sheryl Nance-Nash at Long Island Press.