New Hampshire may finally be starting to see improvement in the mental health of its youth.
Every two years, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) conducts a survey looking at behaviors and feelings of N.H. high school students. Survey results reported last week showed a decrease in potentially harmful behaviors such as self-harm, sexual activity and tobacco use.
The survey was taken in 2023 and results are being reported now. This was the first time in a decade that a decrease was reported. This shows vast improvement for the state, but there is much more to be done.
The survey results from 2021 reported 44% of high school students feeling “hopelessness or sadness” during that year, compared to the results of the 2023 survey, where only 40% felt this way. Even while decreasing, almost half of students are still experiencing mental distress.
Students also reported they felt help was much more available to them in 2023 than in 2021. This is what makes all the difference in these numbers.
Mental health is just as important as physical health, even though our society has not always seen it that way. The two are so closely tied together they can start to coincide. An anxiety attack can lead to nausea or dizziness. Chronic stress can lead to a lack, or increase, in appetite, altering how much energy you have for the day.
Contrastingly, persistent stomach pain can lead to excessive worry and overthinking. A constant headache can take you down endless Google rabbit holes, convincing yourself the worst. Do not Google your symptoms, trust me.
Our society has done a terrible job of making these two components of well-being equal. Just because you can not physically see somebody’s pain does not mean it is not there. As humans, we tend to assume most people see the world the same way we do. We acknowledge differences in opinion, but it is sometimes hard to understand that people can feel different things or see life in a different way. This lack of understanding or sympathy is ultimately what leads people, especially teenagers, to be scared of asking for help.
Being vulnerable is hard. Opening up and letting someone see your thoughts can be uncomfortable and terrifying. The situation needs to feel safe in order to do so. The safest people are the ones who listen without judgment, who look to help you, who can relate to what you are feeling; even if they do not, they try to understand.
Increasing resources that provide this level of safety and comfort is crucial to helping students know it is okay to feel what they are feeling. This will help them talk about what they are going through and provide them with the tools they need.
Local schools have made much progress in increasing this support system in recent years. Associate Health Commissioner Patricia Tilley quotes:
“We are encouraged by what New Hampshire students are reporting about their mental health and well-being.”
The demographic of these results indicates that the schools’ attempts to increase mental health resources have worked. However, officials are still concerned about the “high number of students feeling levels of anxiety, anger, and emptiness.”
There is still much work to be done in helping students feel comfortable asking for help. The stigma still exists, and it is not only the school’s job to make it a safer environment, it’s the job of every person reading this article. Think of one thing you can say to someone to make them feel comfortable asking for help, and know that there are people who want to help you too. It is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of strength.
Jaden Johnson can be contacted at
