Teens in southeast Michigan go to school carrying with them far more than backpacks, books and water bottles.

Many are shouldering economic hardship, exposure to adversity and discrimination, family responsibilities, uncertainty about the future and social pressures.

These sentiments were shared with our research teams repeatedly during focus groups we held in Detroit in 2024 and during 2026 community advisory meetings in Flint.

I am a pediatric psychologist, researcher and mother to a tween and teen who has worked with Michigan youth and families for over a decade. My research focuses on addressing youth mental health challenges through early intervention, community partnerships and making mental health care easier to access.

Teens today face threats to their well-being beyond what many adults immediately recognize, along with barriers to getting help that make it tough to get better.

Mental health risks teens face

Because they interact with teens regularly, school personnel may be especially well positioned to offer insights into the teen mental health landscape.

Our research team included members from Michigan State University, Wayne State University and the University of Michigan. The team ran five in-person focus groups with 25 school personnel at a Detroit public high school in order to better understand the mental health of local teens. The groups were mostly made up of teachers, along with coaches, administrators and support staff.

Participants told us students were struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma and exhaustion.

“A lot of students feel exhausted. Every single day,” one focus group attendee said. Staff described students as often seeming physically and mentally worn down and checked out. “It’s like, if you have one or two bad days in a week, I can understand that, but it’s every single day for months on end.”

School personnel........

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