Nov. 18, 2021

The pandemic has taken a toll on the amount of learning Minnesota students were able to do this year. But it’s also affected their mental and emotional well-being.

“We are seeing a lot of teenagers who are coming to our ERs with depression, assessment of suicide attempts, self-injurious behaviors such as cutting and a lot of substance abuse,” says Raghu Gandhi, a child psychologist and assistant professor at the University of Minnesota.

School leaders around the state say they’re seeing these same issues in their buildings. “In August, when students came to school, we were so excited to have them in person that we didn’t recognize or realize some of these social skills that they maybe had lost or not developed,” said Andrea Rusk, principal at Brainerd High School.

Last month, the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry declared a national emergency in children’s mental health. Twelfth-grade student, Emily Tucker says drama club at her school has been a lifeline for her this semester. “Every time somebody asks me what I want to do after school, I just want to cry because I do not know yet. And it’s really, really, really a struggle. Being alone is good, but then I come here and I feel like I don’t want to be alone.”

Read the full story on the pandemic's impact on student mental health around Minnesota.

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If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (en español: 1-888-628-9454; deaf and hard of hearing: 1-800-799-4889) or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

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