Study of teen mental health in San Mateo reveals challenges, offers hope

Schools and healthcare providers in San Mateo County have been striving to provide mental health support to students in the area. They engaged the Gardner Center to study teen mental health in the region so they could better understand the issue and identify opportunities for improvement.

The challenge

Both nationally and locally, schools are grappling with the challenges of unaddressed mental health needs and the resulting demands on them to provide mental health services for students.

The solution

San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD), Peninsula Health Care District (PHCD), and the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing have been collaborating to strengthen mental health supports for youth in both the high school and K–8 districts.

To better understand which efforts have the greatest potential for impact, they invited another long-time partner, the Gardner Center, to conduct a study about:

The scope of mental health needs
Predictive factors and risk indicators for later mental health challenges
Opportunities for intervention and support

Key takeaways

Schools are experiencing earlier onset, increased prevalence, and greater complexity of student mental health needs across all ages and across the socioeconomic spectrum. Gardner Center research points to several opportunities for schools and districts to support student mental health and wellbeing:

Situate student mental health in the broader context of comprehensive development and wellbeing that is cultivated over the course of a lifetime.

Shift from an individual view of the problem and solution to a systems view.

Strengthen continuity of care across grades, schools, and districts.

Expand data systems to include meaningful measures of wellbeing.