FAIRFIELD -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is using the start of a new school year to engage with youth about mental health and substance use.
"To support these conversations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched Free Mind, a new national campaign that provides youth ages 12 to 17 and their parents and caregivers with resources and information about substance use, mental health, and the connection between the two," the agency said in a statement. "The drug overdose crisis is constantly evolving and remains an important public health issue. "
Jennifer Mullane, head of Solano County Behavioral Health, said she was not familiar with the initiative, but said the county has been focused on treating "co-occurring conditions" for many years.
She said the mental health specialists are trained in substance use issues, and similarly, clinicians who focus on substance use have been trained on mental health matters.
Mullane does applaud the CDC for the initiative, noting the age group is a "population at high risk for suicides and suicide attempts," and mental health and substance use are intricately connected.
From 2020 to 2024, 75% of overdose deaths among youth, 10 to 19, involved illegally made fentanyl, the CDC reported.
"In addition, the number of teens reporting poor mental health has increased in the past decade. In 2023, 40% of high school students stopped regular activities because of persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness and one in five students seriously considered attempting suicide," the CDC stated.
"Teens may use alcohol and other substances to help them cope with stress, anxiety and depression," Dr. Allison Arwady, director of the CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, said.
"Talking openly about mental health and substance use, and knowing when to get professional help, is critical to helping teens stay healthy. That's why this campaign supports youth, parents, and caregivers in having those conversations early, before an issue arises."
The campaign seeks to resonate with this age group by addressing the connections between substance use and mental health, risk factors that contribute to drug use and strategies to keep them safe.
CDC also has created resources for parents and caregivers about the latest substance use and mental health challenges youth may face.
The issue of resources is, of course, front and center these days.
"Yes, of course, every county is concerned about how that funding is going to affect programming," said Mullane, adding those cuts can impact training the workforce as well as client programs.
She said fortunately, in Solano County, dealing with co-occurring conditions is built into both training and programming already. That should help soften the blow, but not all of it.
For more information about Free Mind, visit www.cdc.gov/free-mind/index.html. For more information about CDC's overdose prevention efforts, go to www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention.