Press Release

NEW JERSEY – As May marks National Mental Health Awareness Month, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-19th Dist.) is expressing concern over a recent study that shows 84% of parents with school-aged children believe there is a youth mental health crisis in the United States.

Moreover, the study from Morning Consult shows that about half of parents believe the stresses of COVID-19, schoolwork, uncertainty and friendships or relationships had a negative impact on their children’s mental health over the past year.

In response, the Assembly Speaker is promoting a number of bills designed to address mental health, such as an initiative to start high school later in the day so teenagers can get more sleep.

“Each May, it is an important time to focus on mental health and its impact on the well-being of all New Jerseyans, ensuring that those in need are provided with support,” Coughlin said. “Prior to the pandemic, we knew that many in the Garden State were facing trauma, stress and anxiety.

The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as global concerns, have exacerbated those conditions, creating a crisis in many of our communities.”

Over the course of the lingering pandemic, students have suffered from disruptions in routines, increased social isolation, and learning loss.  Research has shown that social media plays a central role in increasing mental health challenges among young people — especially girls. According to the White House, emergency department visits for attempted suicide among girls in 2021 increased by more than 50 percent compared to 2020.

Coughlin urged parents to have regular conversations with their children, perhaps during dinner, in the car or at bedtime, with open-ended questions to gauge mental health. Questions could be as simple as asking about the favorite part of the day, or, more directly, if anything is bothering them.

Coughlin cited proposed legislation that he is working to advance to address mental health, especially among children, as part of his “cornerstone policy priorities.” They include:

•A2036,  which would establish a Core Behavioral Crisis System.

•A3331, which would establish a “Student Mental Health Task Force.”

•A3816, which requires high schools that receive financial aid to start regular instruction no earlier than 8:30 a.m.

“Less than half of those struggling with mental illness receive the treatment they need, even fewer within our Black and Brown communities,” said Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez (D-19th Dist.), a vocal supporter of the Assembly Speaker’s priorities.  “Some of our communities still lack sufficient numbers of mental health providers. We need to make sure that those who need care have access. And people need to know that is `ok’ to seek help when they need it, especially our young people.”

According to Lopez, federal statistics show the rate of depression across the country has more than tripled compared to rates in 2019, while communities of color, frontline workers and health care workers disproportionally affected. More needs to be done to help people, many of whom are suffering in silence, she said.

Sen. Joe Vitale (D-19th Dist.) is championing a bill in the state Senate that would require the state Department of Human Services (DHS) to establish a comprehensive behavioral health crisis system of care, including implementation of the 9-8-8 behavioral health crisis hotline. The bill advanced out of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee by a unanimous vote, 8-0.

The bill, S-311, co-sponsored by Sen. Vin Gopal in Monmouth County, comes in response to federal efforts to establish this hotline. 

“Our legislation falls in line with preventative measures being taken in other proactive states,” Vitale said. “The new three-digit helpline will replace the longer suicide hotline numbers currently in use, serving as a literal lifeline and providing immediate help to those in desperate need.”

In addition to directing the DHS commissioner to establish crisis hotline centers to build up capacity for New Jersey 9-8-8 callers, the bill would also require the commissioner to establish mobile crisis response teams and refer callers to crisis stabilization services, as needed, according to guidelines and best practices established by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Those who need immediate assistance are urged to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK, which will transition to the simple three-digit number, 988, on July 16.