'We know that students are struggling': Davis County hosts youth mental health screening event

CLEARFIELD — At the tail end of the pandemic and among myriad other issues, mental health challenges remain common among Davis County youth.

"Data shows that 39.5% of adolescents are experiencing depressive symptoms," Isa Perry, Davis4Health coordinator with the Davis County Health Department, said. "We know that students are struggling."

Perry said that the Davis County Health Department has heard from parents in the past, saying mental health services are difficult to access in the county.

"They don't necessarily know where to go for services, or they just don't know what services are the right fit for their unique situation. Every situation is unique in some way," she said.

In response, the Davis County Health Department and Davis HELPS began hosting free youth mental health screening events in 2017, where students and their parents or guardians had the opportunity to meet virtually to discuss their concerns with a mental health professional. The latest event was held Tuesday night.

"We know that nearly 1 out of 5 adolescents in Davis County needs mental health treatment. Also, suicide is the leading cause of death for youth ages 10 to 17 in Utah," said Christi Blankman, K-12 prevention coordinator for the Davis School District. "This event is set up to help youth and their families identify if there are any issues and then help link them to services."

In the week leading up to Tuesday's screenings, students and their parents or guardians received a link to an online survey that addresses depression, anxiety, trauma, sleep, screen time and suicide risk.

Those surveys were then used to inform the appointments, where students and parents or guardians met with a mental health professional to discuss screening results and decide if more follow-up was needed.

"Some of these are typical for every type of mental health screening, but some of them have been added over time because we've heard over and over again, through these events and through the clinicians, that electronic devices cause a lot of contention and conflict in families. And that seems to be a common theme, (so) we just asked some questions about that," Perry said.

Forty-five students participated in the screening event and 19 families are set to receive follow-up from a family resource facilitator to help connect them to additional resources and support.

"We had good participation. People were able to talk with a clinician and the clinicians were able to give them some ideas, recommendations, some tool, sometimes provide reassurance that they're on track," she said

Additionally, the screenings identified two individuals who were in need of a safety plan, meaning they were at risk for self-harm.

Even though many individuals were connected with resources, Perry said there is still work to be done to expand the reach of assistance even further for those in need.

"We feel like this is improving access to behavioral health, but we know that there's still more of our population who needs the services but maybe isn't able to access them, so that's something that we do think about: How we can continue to reach more?" Perry said.

She said Davis County Health Department and Davis HELPS are planning another screening event that will take place in the fall.

Those interested in participating in the screening event can keep up with when and where the next event will be held by following the Davis HELPS Facebook page. Once the date and location are determined, folks will be able to sign-up for an appointment here.

Related topics