A Leader’s Mission
Connecticut Rep. Kevin Ryan Prioritizes Adolescent Mental Health Issues as the 2024 CSG National Chair
By Cassidy White
Mental health, and youth mental health in particular, is a rampant issue facing states. Although the recent pandemic heightened our awareness of this issue, more and more states are beginning to stress the importance of addressing youth’s struggles, spurring action from legislators.
Rep. Kevin Ryan, Connecticut’s assistant deputy speaker pro tempore, saw the opportunity in 2024 to utilize his role as The Council of State Governments National Chair to bring adolescent mental health to the foreground for the 50 states and six U.S. territories served by CSG.
This policy priority, addressed as the CSG National Chair’s Leadership Initiative, was the focus of Ryan’s one-year term, recognizing the ever-growing mental health crisis across the nation, particularly among youth.
“Mental health is critical for youth as it impacts many areas of their lives, including school, general wellbeing, physiological impacts, relationships and productivity,” Ryan said. “It became obvious coming out of COVID that children’s mental health was becoming an issue. Youth today, in our post-pandemic world, are struggling. In recent years, we’ve seen significant increases in depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation in youth.”
Citing World Health Organization data, Ryan added, “globally, one in seven 10-19-year-olds experiences a mental disorder, accounting for 13% of the global burden of disease in this age group. Depression, anxiety and behavioral disorders are among the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among 15-29-year-olds. The consequences of failing to address adolescent mental health conditions extend to adulthood, impairing both physical and mental health and limiting opportunities to lead fulfilling lives as adults.”
Understanding that many legislators, judges and executive branch officials are aware that mental health concerns are prevalent, it was important to Ryan that he, with the support of CSG, focus not on the problem, but rather how to best solve it. What resulted was an initiative designed to empower state leaders with the knowledge and insights to improve mental health-related outcomes in their communities, aptly titled the 2024 Adolescent Behavioral Health Policy Academy.
of high school students reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless in 2021.
Approximately 3 million teens had serious suicidal thoughts.
Nearly half of mental health issues begin by age 14, and 70% begin by the mid-20s.
Ryan, looking to foster dialogue surrounding innovative solutions to this troubling issue, convened officials from each of the three branches of state government to engage in collaborative and interactive sessions. Sessions provided attendees the opportunity to learn from each other and subject-matter experts about data-driven solutions and promising approaches available to states to enhance youth mental health.
“I was hoping that legislators, along with mental health professionals, could share ideas on how these issues could be handled and work to share data that helps explain these trends and how we can work together to reverse these trends,” Ryan said. “We will also work to help states learn from the experience of other states and identify best practices that work to address the behavioral health needs of young people.”
The intimate two-day convening, limited to only 35 state leaders, ensured meaningful connections were made and in-depth discussions were had. Ryan wanted topics to cover a wide spectrum of mental-health related issues as mental health necessarily encompasses and intersects with many policy issues.
Many sessions were led by elected and appointed officials who have witnessed the strides in youth mental health being made in their states and nationwide. An interactive session organized by Ryan began the academy, allowing attendees to foster connections and learn what their colleagues are doing across the nation to champion mental health.
“Mental health is critical for youth as it impacts many areas of their lives, including school, general wellbeing, physiological impacts, relationships and productivity.”
Connecticut Rep. Kevin Ryan, Assistant Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore
Ryan, looking to foster dialogue surrounding innovative solutions to this troubling issue, convened officials from each of the three branches of state government to engage in collaborative and interactive sessions. Sessions provided attendees the opportunity to learn from each other and subject-matter experts about data-driven solutions and promising approaches available to states to enhance youth mental health.
“I was hoping that legislators, along with mental health professionals, could share ideas on how these issues could be handled and work to share data that helps explain these trends and how we can work together to reverse these trends,” Ryan said. “We will also work to help states learn from the experience of other states and identify best practices that work to address the behavioral health needs of young people.”
The intimate two-day convening, limited to only 35 state leaders, ensured meaningful connections were made and in-depth discussions were had. Ryan wanted topics to cover a wide spectrum of mental-health related issues as mental health necessarily encompasses and intersects with many policy issues.
Many sessions were led by elected and appointed officials who have witnessed the strides in youth mental health being made in their states and nationwide. An interactive session organized by Ryan began the academy, allowing attendees to foster connections and learn what their colleagues are doing across the nation to champion mental health.
Among those in attendance was Utah Rep. Steve Eliason, who provided an overview of Utah legislation proposed or passed between 2012 and 2024 related to youth mental health. Eliason discussed nearly 30 bills, including:
Utah Legislative Snapshot
HB 154 (2013) — “Suicide Prevention Programs” — created and funded two state positions for suicide prevention: one in the Department of Human Services and one in the State Office of Education.
HB 298 (2013) — “Parent Seminar on Youth Protection” — requires school districts to hold annual parent seminars on a range of topics, including suicide prevention.
SB 175 (2015) — “School Safety & Crisis Line” — creates a student safety and crisis tip line commission (SafeUT).
The impact of SafeUT deserves special attention. The app was developed in response to Utah’s alarmingly high youth suicide rates, the leading cause of death for young people ages 10-24. The app allows users to connect to a licensed master’s level counselor at Huntsman Mental Health Institute. Counselors are ready to confidentially listen to any sized crisis or concern at no cost, 24/7, 365 days a year.
Wisconsin Sen. Jesse James also provided an overview of mental-health-related successes. He shared that, as of November 2022, the Senate had never created a mental health/substance use prevention committee. With his leadership, it was formed, and later restructured to include children and families.
Through the work of James and his colleagues, successful mental health and substance use legislation began filling the docket in 2023-24. Bills included but were not limited to:
Wisconsin Legislative Snapshot
WI Act 196 (2023) allows for marriage and family therapists to practice in schools to help address the mental health professional shortages.
WI Act 220 (2023) establishes peer support legislation guidelines and best practices to operate a peer support or crisis intervention program for first responders/correctional officers as well as making their conversations privileged and confidential.
WI Act 219 (2024) establishes the “Virtual Crisis Pilot,” a pilot program for a virtual behavioral health crisis care services for law enforcement.
Looking ahead, participants expressed a strong desire to continue exploring mental health-related topics, signaling an ongoing commitment to this critical issue. Eager to stay connected, many participants requested materials from the presenters and a full list of attendees to facilitate collaboration. Their enthusiasm reflected a collective drive to share best practices and implement effective mental health solutions in their states, ensuring that the work begun at the academy will extend into the future.