Teens across southeast Michigan, particularly in Detroit and Flint, are shouldering significant mental health burdens, with school personnel and parents expressing overwhelming concern and, at times, feelings of helplessness. Research conducted in Detroit in 2024 and in Flint in 2026 highlights a landscape where young people contend with a range of emotional struggles, often linked to the relentless pressures of daily life.
Research teams from Michigan State University, Wayne State University, and the University of Michigan conducted five in-person focus groups with 25 school personnel at a Detroit public high school. These groups, primarily composed of teachers, along with coaches, administrators, and support staff, reported that students are grappling with depression, anxiety, trauma, and profound exhaustion. One focus group attendee described a persistent state, noting that many students seemed exhausted daily, often appearing physically and mentally worn down and checked out for extended periods.
Beyond these core issues, school personnel also raised alarms about teens engaging in substance use, including alcohol and marijuana, becoming involved in fights, and experiencing thoughts of suicide. These behaviors were often framed by participants as either direct consequences of unaddressed mental health challenges or as desperate attempts by students to cope with overwhelming stress.
These local findings mirror broader national trends. A 2023 poll by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveyed over 20,000 U.S. high school students and found that nearly 40% reported persistent sadness and hopelessness, while one in five had seriously considered suicide. The national data also indicated disparities in risk, with young women about twice as likely as young men to report persistent sadness, poor mental health, or suicidal ideation. Teens identifying as LGBTQ+ were two to three times more likely than their heterosexual and cisgender peers to experience these same mental health challenges. Black teens, while less likely to report poor mental health overall, were more likely to report attempting suicide compared to white teens.
The concerns identified by Detroit school personnel and Flint community advisory boards often stemmed directly from the everyday realities of teens' lives. Many young people experience stress due to housing instability, serious financial strain, and transportation difficulties. These issues are frequently compounded by family stress, such as parents working multiple jobs or extended hours to make ends meet, teens themselves working to support their families, or having caretaking responsibilities for siblings or older family members. Family conflict also contributes to this burden.
Research suggests that by age 18, most youth will have encountered at least one potentially traumatic event or circumstance that threatens their safety, stability, or ability to form healthy relationships, known as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Common ACEs include abuse, witnessing violence, growing up in households with substance use or mental health problems, or experiencing instability due to parental separation or incarceration. One educator emphasized that students often bring the weight of their adverse experiences and trauma into the school environment, noting that many peers shared similar situations.
In Flint, the gravity of these daily stressors was exemplified by an August 2026 weekend that saw six shootings, two of them fatal, including one teenage victim. Community leaders, educators, advocates, and law enforcement in both Detroit and Flint remain concerned about youth gun violence, with ongoing efforts like the Community Safety Collaborative Dashboard aimed at prevention.
The adults surrounding these teens also face significant challenges. Parents on advisory boards reported feeling overwhelmed by competing demands, personal stress, and worries about their teens' well-being. Educators in the focus groups spoke of feeling a deep responsibility to support students while simultaneously lacking sufficient training and resources. One participant described the struggle by saying, “Sometimes I feel like I’m helpless.” Others shared the emotional toll of responding to student crises, including suicide attempts, echoing national data on high levels of stress and burnout among parents and educators, with educator distress linked to poorer student mental health outcomes.
When teens need help, they often face barriers to seeking it. They worry about being misunderstood, struggle to articulate difficult emotions, and are uncertain about whom to trust and when to share their concerns. Research emphasizes that safe spaces – where providers are trustworthy, affirm all aspects of teens’ identities, and where teens feel seen and understood – are crucial for any effective mental health support.
Acknowledging these insights, the research team developed a model to train school staff to recognize and support students with both physical and mental health concerns, linking them to additional services when needed. This is particularly important because access to care in the broader community remains a significant challenge. Detroit residents, in a recent survey, identified a lack of mental health services, a shortage of qualified professionals, and insufficient mental health facilities as major obstacles to obtaining care.
To ensure interventions are relevant and effective, the research team organized an advisory board of 12- to 17-year-olds in Flint in 2025. These board members, who meet regularly, have articulated their desire for programs that include food, fun, social connection, and mentorship, emphasizing a need for spaces without lectures or judgment. They want environments where they can speak openly with trustworthy adults and engage in conversations that focus on their strengths rather than problems or shortcomings. One teen expressed a desire for programs to be focused on "life-bettering" rather than just preventing crises.
These messages highlight that young people are not simply asking for crisis prevention; they are seeking the relationships, opportunities, and supports essential for building healthy, meaningful, and thriving lives.