𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐁𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬

By Ashley Heeren, MA, LPC

As conversations about youth mental health continue, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥-𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. The most current national CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey results available are from 2023: 40% of high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, 19% seriously considered attempting suicide, and 9% attempted suicide.

These statistics are more than numbers—they represent young people who may be struggling with isolation, fear, rejection, anxiety, or disconnection. Bullying can affect a student’s sense of safety, confidence, relationships, academic engagement, and overall emotional well-being.

For bullying specifically, the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics reported in 2024 that, from July 2021 through December 2023, 34% of teenagers ages 12–17 were bullied in the past 12 months. Teenagers who were bullied were nearly twice as likely to report recent symptoms of anxiety or depression compared with those who were not bullied.

Preventing bullying requires more than disciplinary action. 𝐈𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬, 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐬, 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐝, 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝.

Awareness is an important first step, but action matters most. Checking in with students, responding early to warning signs, encouraging kindness, teaching empathy, and making mental health support accessible can all help create safer and healthier school communities.

Every student deserves to feel safe, valued, and connected. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲, 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬’ 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲.

Ashley Heeren, MA., LPC

𝐓𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧, 𝐍𝐂𝐂, 𝐋𝐏𝐂, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧, 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐱𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲, 𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬, 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞.