Colorado teens' mental health is dramatically improving. Here's how

The number of Colorado teens reporting persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness is the lowest it's been in a decade, a new statewide survey of young people found.

Why it matters: The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the mental health of Colorado kids, but the latest data shows their well-being is bouncing back amid numerous state efforts to address the issue .

Zoom in: The biennial Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, conducted in the fall of odd-numbered years, gathered voluntary responses from more than 120,000 students across 344 public middle and high schools in 46 Colorado counties.

• The survey, released Thursday, found the share of high schoolers who feel sad or hopeless almost every day dropped 14 percentage points, to 26%, between 2021 and 2023.
• That's the lowest it's been since the survey's inception in 2013, when it was 24%.
• Youth who seriously considered suicide dropped 6 percentage points from 2021, to 11%.
• The number of high schoolers using substances including cannabis, alcohol and nicotine has also decreased over the last few years.

What they're saying: "We're hopeful this is an indication of state and community investments in prevention programming and protective factors paying off," Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director of Colorado's health department, said in a statement.

State of play: Colorado leaders have taken several steps to combat the youth mental health crisis in recent years, including investing in school counselors , creating a program that offers teens free therapy sessions , and passing a law designed to curb screen time among young people.

Yes, but: When it comes to LGBTQ+ youth, negative health impacts persist.

• 45% of surveyed transgender students and 37% of nonbinary kids seriously considered suicide in the past year, compared to just 10% of their cisgender peers.
• "We hope to build on some of the positive trends coming out of the survey to close the gaps we see for LGBTQ+ youth in Colorado," Lena Heilmann, director of Colorado's Office of Suicide Prevention, said in a statement.
• That includes training health care providers to conduct suicide screenings and assessments, adapting those trainings to be culturally inclusive, and helping school staff understand how discrimination impacts LGBTQ+ kids.

The intrigue: Although survey results from middle schoolers show similar improvements to high schoolers in mental health and suicide outcomes, their alcohol use has more than doubled.

• In 2023, 24% of middle schoolers reported having tried alcohol compared to just 11% in 2021.
• Meanwhile, 14% of middle schoolers reported trying their first drink before age 11, almost triple the rate from 2021 (5%).

The bottom line: "Protective factors, such as supportive adults, clear family rules, and feeling safe and connected at school, help youth to thrive," Heilmann said.

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