A third of middle, high school students in Maryland feel sad or hopeless

A newly released Maryland Department of Health survey sheds light on the current mental health status of school aged youth in our state.

Conducted in the fall of 2022 nearly 60,000 students in 368 public middle and high schools were surveyed across Maryland.

The survey tracks behaviors contributing to the leading causes of death and disability, including alcohol, drug and tobacco use, violence, and sexual abuse.

Results show that COVID-19 greatly affected the mental health of kids in Maryland.

More than one-third of middle (34%) and high school (36%) students reported feeling sad or hopeless for at least two weeks or more within the past year. Those numbers are sill an improvement compared to the previous year of 37 and 39 percent respectively.

SEE ALSO: Compare to last year's study

The survey found female students are about two-times more likely to report these types of feelings compared to their male counterparts.

Students identifying as LGBTQ+ were also more likely to report more of the risk behaviors measured on the survey compared to their heterosexual classmates.

Asian students felt they were treated most poorly because of their race (62 percent), followed by Hispanics (48 percent), and Black students (46 percent).

Some progress was made among high schoolers when it comes to the use of tobacco products 3% cigarettes/14% e-cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana. Usage was down one point for each from 2021.

However, there was a one percent spike in cigar use. Nearly half of high schoolers using tobacco, use menthol.