Youth Mental Health At A Crossroads

September 2, 2025 |CSB of Middle Georgia

The U.S. Surgeon General has declared youth mental health a national crisis (Office of the Surgeon General, 2021). Rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among adolescents have sharply increased over the last decade. In fact, one in five adolescents ages 12–17 reported a major depressive episode in 2023 (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2024).

What is driving this crisis? Experts point to the pressures of social media, academic stress, bullying, and isolation intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, access to appropriate behavioral health care for youth remains limited—especially in rural areas.

CSBMG’s Child, Adolescent & Emerging Adult (C&A & EA) Program is addressing this crisis through school-based mental health services, early intervention, in-home supports and activities and evidence- based practices supported through Transition to Independence Process (TIP). These approaches equip staff to help youth navigate challenges and build resiliency.

Investing in youth mental health today means building healthier communities tomorrow. Provider organizations must strengthen partnerships with schools, faith communities, and families while expanding access to evidence-based interventions that meet young people where they are.

References

Office of the Surgeon General. (2021). Protecting youth mental health: The U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-youth-mental-health-advisory.pdf

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2024). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. PEP24-07-01-006, NSDUH Series H-58). Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/