KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee ranks near the bottom in the country for mental health resources, according to new data. The latest "State of the Child" report shows almost three in every four children suffering from depression don't get treatment in the state.
This report will officially be available for viewing on Jan. 11 on the State of the Child site.
Children in Tennessee experience levels of anxiety and depression similar to children in other states, yet Tennessee ranked 41st in the country for youth mental health. Experts in the field say the ranking has to do with treatment accessibility.
"Those prevalence rates are pretty similar to the national average, but access to treatment is not and we're falling really far behind," said Kylie Graves with the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth.
Graves studied this data for months.
"Tennessee has one mental health provider for every 590 people. Nationally, it's one for every 350 people," Graves said.
She said for some young people in more rural areas, mental health providers may be counties away. That can make it really difficult for children who need help to get it. That's why the McNabb Center continues to commit its efforts to the issue.
"We want to make sure that when people need mental health services, the support is there," said Lindsay Stone, she is the Director of Children and Youth Mental Health Programming at Mcnabb.
The McNabb Center is one of East Tennessee's main mental health resources for children.
"A lot of mental health symptoms first start surfacing during those age groups," Stone said. "When you have depression, anxiety, come up with those age groups — it's very important that that's normalized between peer groups because that's where they're looking to validate those feelings."
If they don't, that's when mental health struggles can become increasingly difficult to navigate for young people. McNabb's goal is to intervene and help those young people before it gets worse.
The State of the Child report shared data from 2020. It recorded 144 deaths by suicide among those under 24 years old that year.
Furthermore, around one in five high school students said they seriously considered taking their own life in the past year. Around one in seven said they made a plan of how they would end their life, and around one in 11 attempted suicide.
Stone said that's why intervention is so critical.
"It's a huge concern. It has to be a concern of ours because we have to get that word out, we have to understand what those risk factors are," Stone said.
The McNabb Center provides behavioral health services across Tennessee in Blount, Hamblen, Knox, Loudon and Sevier counties. If you need help today, please contact them at 1-800-255-9711.
If you or a loved one is dealing with thoughts of suicide, please call or text 988. There you will be connected with local mental health officials who want to listen to whatever is on your mind and are ready to help.
The full 2022 State of the Child report will be available for viewing on Jan. 11.