LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — May is Mental Health Awareness Month. While Nevada is making progress overall, health officials said more needs to be done to help young adults and children across the state.
According to Mental Health America, in 2021, Nevada ranked 51st when it comes to overall access to care. In 2022, Nevada was ranked 39. The study uses 15 different criteria to come up with the rankings every year.
While Nevada's ranking has gotten better, some doctors said there is still room for improvement.
"We've been last or second to last for so long. I think the biggest hurdle was funding," said Dr. Sheldon Jacobs, a licensed marriage and family therapist who is also the vice president of the Southern Nevada chapter of the National Alliance On Mental Illness. "In this state, for years, mental health has never really been a priority. I think over the last couple of years, and I say really since the pandemic hit, I think people started understanding the importance of mental health. It forced us to act."
In the fall, the state Interim Finance Committee approved more than $59 million in funding to go towards mental health services across Nevada.
Despite the state's overall ranking sitting at 39th, Nevada is 51st when it comes to youth rankings. Jacobs said he believes a lot of mental health issues can be made worse from more violence on school campuses.
"Our schools are typically like a microcosm of what's happening in the community. If our community is hurting, if our community is not healthy, that's going to transcend into schools and that's what we're seeing," said Jacobs. "School districts need to hire more mental health professionals. I hope that during this legislative session that more mental health support is approved because the budget has increased for that so that we can meet our kids where they need to be met at."
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Jacobs explained that schools are hubs when it comes to resources and outside factors could prevent students from getting the help they need outside of school.
"It's hard to expect them to go and keep appointments with therapists in the community outside of school hours. They might have parents that work full-time jobs and maybe other barriers that may make it hard for that family to get to therapy," Jacobs said.
Students are also asking state lawmakers to address the issue. This legislative session, 17-year-old Robert Barsel worked with lawmakers on Senate Bill 313. If passed, it would require mental health education in all Nevada schools.
There are certain signs parents can also look out for if they're concerned about their child's mental health.
"It's when you start noticing subtle behavioral changes in your kids. Those changes might be sleep, if they're sleeping longer than before or a sleeping a lot less. Appetite is also a big one. If they are eating less than what they did before or they're reporting they don't have an appetite, that could be a sign of something else," Jacobs said. "Some other things might be a decline in grades or reporting less motivation or less desire to do things than they previously did. But the biggest thing is just understanding your children. I think when you understand your children, you will know. That radar will kick in when something is not right with them."
Jacobs said it's important for everyone to continue the conversation around mental health in order to break the stigma and continue improving access to resources.
"It's hard to effectively intervene without having that awareness," Jacobs said. "The hope there is that nobody feels ashamed with whatever it is they're struggling with because we all have mental health. We want everyone to know out there that they're not alone in this."
If you or anyone you know is struggling with their mental health, you can find more resources here.
