December 09, 2020
To have the greatest impact now and in the future, young people’s leadership and lived experience are critical. We must build on what has helped them and invest in what they feel would empower them to change their mental health and their communities' mental health.
This report, Young People’s Mental Health in 2020: Hope, Advocacy, and Action for the Future, shares the perspectives of 1,906 14-24-year-olds who completed our Young People’s Mental Health Survey through our online screening program, MHAScreening.org. Highlights from the survey include:
- Access to mental health professionals and mental health breaks as part of work or school were the top resources young people requested to support their mental health.
- Only 24% think training adults would help them with their mental health challenges, versus 47% who want to learn more about how to help their own mental health.
- 45% of 14-18-year-olds are not hopeful about the future, and more than half of LGBTQ+ teens are not hopeful about the future.
- Only 1 in 4 young people think they can make a change in mental health in their communities.
- Young people reported what they need most: support for their own mental health, opportunities to learn about mental health, connection to a mental health advocacy community, and training to support their peers’ mental health.