One major trend that can be analyzed in our society today is the conversation of mental health. Though talking about mental health has become less taboo, it is still a topic that many shy away from. Mental health is a topic that concerns us all and should be a top priority when discussing the overall capability of an individual. It is essential that we all pay attention to the mental health of not only ourselves but of those around us as well.

With the 2020 global pandemic, the mental health crisis that was already endured among America’s young people severely worsened. It was reported that suicides—as well as feelings of hopelessness—have been rising steadily since COVID-19 first hit. This sparked an interest in conversations about mental health, opening the public’s perspective to the very real problems that lie with mental health. 

In response to this increase, there have been a few states that have ultimately decided to withdraw from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior surveys, a federal program that tracks teen behavior and mental health. 

Instead, these states plan to handle the mental health crisis in their own ways, with some planning to conduct their own surveys. Colorado, Idaho and Florida are the three states that have decided they will not participate in the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior surveys. As these surveys typically reach over 80,000 students, there have been many concerns have risen as to why these states have decided to opt out.

Though each state has its own rationale as to why they feel it necessary to opt out of these surveys, it is concerning that these states would choose this route, especially during a time when mental health is becoming more evident within our society. With suicides and feelings of hopelessness on the rise currently, it is questionable why these states would do this.

Specifically in Colorado, the state has decided to instead focus on the Healthy Kids Colorado survey, a survey that is to be conducted specifically in Colorado and is able to reach more youth than the CDC reaches in Colorado through their nationwide survey. Since the CDC’s survey is nationwide, they are limited and unable to survey each and every school within a state.

This is a combative way to deal with the ongoing issue. Since the CDC doesn’t get to survey every school, there are many children and teenagers that aren’t analyzed for the national survey, falling through the cracks. This not only affects the survey’s accuracy as a whole, but it excludes the children who aren’t a part of this survey and may need help as well.

By conducting its own surveys, the state of Colorado is able to be more inclusive of the children within the state who are suffering from many different mental health issues. These are the same youth that may have been ignored by the CDC’s survey and otherwise not been helped. How effective is the CDC’s survey after all if they aren’t able to survey every school, some of which may be more at risk than others?

By starting its own surveys, Colorado also can analyze each school on a more in-depth level. Instead of using the CDC’s survey, Colorado is able to reach more youth, allowing them to pinpoint specific problems for each school—thus, each student.

This is a great starting point. From here, students may be guided to the proper resources that they may need in order to seek the help they need whether that’s counseling, medication or any other remedy. Hopefully, this individualized attention can help to lessen the effects of the pandemic and help the mentality of students within our state.

From the outside looking in, it is questionable why a state such as Colorado would opt out of the CDC’s national survey, especially now in a time of need. However, when digging beneath the surface, I find this decision to actually be very tactful.

It is smart in this case for Colorado to conduct their own research because this allows for more individualized work to be done, instead of collective work that may not be fully accurate for the entirety of the state—considering that the CDC is not able to conduct its surveys with every single high school in each state.