FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 10, 2024
Contact: Emma Bittner
(972) 510-3395 | Emma.Bittner@younginvincibles.org
Say It With Us: Mental Health is Preventive Health
Young Invincibles Releases Youth-Focused Mental Health Agenda
(Washington, DC) – Today, Young Invincibles released Mental Health is Preventive Health: A Mental Health Policy Agenda by and for Young Adults. Underlining the importance of recent conversations around mental health wellness, the agenda highlights mental health’s intersection between health care, higher education, and financial well-being. This agenda supplements our previous federal policy agenda and outlines our deeper commitment to mental health advocacy in 2024 and beyond.
Over the last year, it’s become clear that bolder action is needed for mental health wellness as young adults in America are battling a mental health crisis. Today, a third of all adults, and half of young adults 18-24, report living with a mental illness, feeling depressed, anxious, or lonely. Moreover, for women ages 25-34, researchers have found that measures of health and safety are worsening, including measures of maternal mortality, suicide, and homicide. The unprecedented times we live in, coupled with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic have exacerbated the personal, mental, and financial stress that young people experience.
The agenda outlines a policy framework to address these problems and ensure solutions for equitable, accessible mental health care. Whether it be for students at higher education institutions, young people on employer-sponsored health insurance, or Medicaid, more must be done. As the agenda is titled, mental health is preventive health and is essential to young adults’ well-being. The agenda catalyzes Young Invincibles’ dedication to affordable, accessible, and equitable mental health services for young adults in 2024.
In response, Kristin McGuire, Executive Director at Young Invincibles said:
“We can’t wait any longer to make bold changes for mental health; young adults need affordable and accessible care now. Our mental health agenda sets the tone for 2024 and puts a heavy emphasis on our continued mental health advocacy.
To ensure the well-being of students, young workers, and historically marginalized communities, we must reclassify mental health services as preventive care for purposes of health insurance coverage. Seeking mental health should be as affordable and accessible as an annual physical or follow-up care in a primary provider’s office.
Mental health care goes beyond access, we must be strategic in the quality of the care provided and prioritize equitable solutions. In 2024 we are stepping into a space that not only invites conversation but encourages young adults to speak up. Our agenda is a stepping stone to larger systematic change. At Young Invincibles we have been fierce advocates of mental health, yet this bold agenda signifies an important shift in how we discuss mental health care.”
In response, Trystan Melas, Young Advocate Program Alumni said:
“Mental health, especially among college students, is not something to address lightly. A recent study by the Healthy Minds Study showed that year after year, depression and anxiety symptoms have only been increasing among college students.
I am among those statistics. When I was thirteen years old, I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder.
Given the limited number of providers that would take my health insurance in my area, I had to travel up to thirty minutes away after school to reach my therapy appointment. And with the relatively high therapist turnover rate, I never saw the same therapist for more than a few months at a time. This prevented me from forming a strong therapeutic bond and getting the right mental health treatment I needed.
At college, a significant transition from dependency to independence, many students need mental health care. The provision of mental health services across college campuses should not be swept under the rug as an afterthought. There are real young adults suffering every single day.”
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Young Invincibles (YI) is a national advocacy and policy nonprofit organization focused on amplifying the voice of young people in the political process at the local, state, and federal levels. YI focuses on issues impacting young adults ages 18 to 34 in higher education, health care, economic security, and civic engagement. Our offices include Washington, D.C., California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, and Texas. For more information, please contact Emma Bittner at (972) 510-3395 or emma.bittner@younginvincibles.org