MADISON — The Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health (OCMH) invites families, schools, and organizations across the state to join in recognizing Children’s Mental Health Week, May 5-11, 2024. This year, OCMH has released new resources inspired by Wisconsin’s high school students. 

“Recognizing that young people are the experts on youth mental health, we are releasing recommendations and insights provided by high school student leaders who are committed to supporting mental wellness,” said Linda Hall, OCMH Director.  

OCMH has assembled their recommendations into the following documents:

●  Mental Health Coping Strategies of Wisconsin Youth and Coping Strategy Quotes highlight the creative ways teens are managing their feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness.

●  Youth Advice to Other Youth extends the power of peer support by elevating the reminders teens want to share with one another.

●  What Youth Want Adults to Know offers a collection of messages from Wisconsin teens for parents, youth-serving professionals, and decision-makers.

These new resources, compiled from submissions shared at the Mental Wellness Student Leadership Summit hosted by OCMH in April 2024, offer key ways for youth and adults to connect. These messages are important, because we know from research that elevating youth voice is central to improving their well-being.

In addition to considering these youth messages, OCMH is encouraging individuals and organizations throughout the state to take action on children’s mental health by using one or more of the tools available on the OCMH Children’s Mental Health Week 2024 webpage.

“Talk to the kids you see in daily life. Reach out and ask how they are doing. Listen to their answers. The simple act of inviting youth to talk about their lives and how they’re feeling is one of the best ways of connecting with them,” Hall suggests.

Key facts on the status of youth mental health in Wisconsin show many of our kids are struggling:  

●  More than half (52%) report anxiety.

●  Nearly half (48%) of LGBTQ kids say they seriously considered suicide; and one in four (25%) of girls seriously considered suicide.

●  More than a third (34%) report feeling sad and hopeless nearly every day.

“Every week, but especially during Children’s Mental Health Week, we need everyone to be listening to, and connecting with, Wisconsin’s youth, because when youth feel heard, they feel better,” said Hall.

To learn more, see the Office of Children’s Mental Health 2023 Annual Report.