Purnima Aggarwal

1 month ago | brookings.edu | Purnima Aggarwal |Gabrielle Harris |Katharine Meyer

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. The U.S. Department of Education marked the start of the month by terminating a $1 billion grant program that helps schools hire mental health professionals. In this context, it’s worth stepping back to consider how our students are doing and how states might respond to the situation. The pandemic wreaked havoc on youth mental health in the United States. However, troubling trends in depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation started well before 2020.