Mental health improved for North Carolina teens in 2023, survey finds

“It is very encouraging to see that students are not only recovering from the effects of the pandemic, but in many cases are performing better than in 2019 and before,” Deputy State Superintendent Michael Maher said in a Press release.

The state conducts the survey every two years. It asks a representative sample of North Carolina middle and high school students whether they engage in certain risky behaviors, such as drug use. It also asks them to assess their mental and physical health.

In recent years, the decline in mental health among middle and high school students has been one of the most notable trends in outcomes.

However, in 2023, these students had a little more hope.

The percentage of high school students reporting feeling sad or hopeless decreased from 35% in 2021 to 32% in 2023. And the percentage of high school students feeling sad or hopeless dropped from 43% to 39%.

Likewise, the percentage of high school students who seriously considered suicide also decreased, from 22% to 18%. It's even a little better than in 2019, before the pandemic, when the rate was 19%.

Around 30% of high school students in 2023 reported feeling alone in life. This is a lower proportion than in 2021 or 2019, but it remains a problem, said Ellen Essick, section head for healthy schools and specialized educational support at the Ministry of Public Instruction.

“I want you to be excited about the changes, but also realistic,” Essick told state board members. “We have a lot of work to do to keep our students mentally healthy.”

In his presentation, Essick used graphics to show an often inverse relationship between physical activity and feelings of sadness and hopelessness. About 42% of high school students were physically active for an hour or more five or more days per week in 2023. This is the highest physical activity rate North Carolina high schools have achieved since 2017. According to Essick, research suggests that if a person is physically active, their mental state is better.

“This information is extremely important,” said Alan Duncan, vice president of the Board of Education, emphasizing the need to maintain high levels of participation in the survey. “Our children deserve to have that voice and we deserve the chance to reflect that voice.”