Mental Healh in New Jersey: CHARTED

“We are becoming a psychiatric institution at this point,”

That is how Kim Ansh, vice president of the Ramapo Indian Hills regional board of education, feels about the lofty spending of her school district on mental health counseling and treatment.

With $440,000 allocated to the budget, she is not wrong in pointing out how far New Jersey school’s have come in dealing with mental health, or in questioning the direction in which they are headed.

NUMBERS:

• 168.75% increase in mental health related searches in google from New Jersey from 2013.

• 42% of high school student reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness across the nation

• 19.26% increase in suicide throughout the nation from 2013-2021.

• $2.5 Trillion spent per year directly and indirectly on mental health in the nation.

WHAT NOW?

Every year, the amount of people suffering from disorders such as anxiety and depression increase right alongside the total amount that we are spending on solving the problem.

If money is only fanning the fire without putting it out, then strategies going forward will have to adjust to properly help individuals, rather than help a group at a more shallow level.

Until then, go check in on a friend, coworker, or family member. It may be the personal connection that you both may need to keep going strong everyday :).

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