Take Action Mental Health in Your State

Indiana

By The Numbers

1,026,000

Number of K-12 Students (2022 Projection)i

89,000
Children with major depressionii
50,000

Children with major depression who do not receive treatmentiii

1:2,607

Ratio of School Psychologists to Students
(Recommended Ratio 1:500)

1:1,829

Ratio of School Social Workers to Students
(Recommended Ratio 1:250)

1:497

Ratio of School Counselors to Students
(Recommended Ratio 1:250)

Take Action
in Indiana

There is a national emergency in children’s mental health. Children and youth are experiencing soaring rates of anxiety, depression, trauma, loneliness, and suicidality. 

Take Action

Children and youth are experiencing soaring rates of anxiety, depression, trauma, loneliness, and suicidality. Mental health challenges can affect success at school and in life, yet few students get the help they need to thrive.

The Hopeful Futures Campaign, a coalition of national organizations, is committed to ensuring that every student has access to effective and supportive school mental health care. The campaign’s school mental health report cards highlight accomplishments and provide important action steps to help address the children’s mental health crisis in every state.

At A Glance: State School Mental Health Policies

School Mental Health Professionals:

School-Family-Community Partnerships:

Teacher and Staff Training:

Funding
Supports:

Well-Being Checks:

Healthy School Climate:

Skills for Life Success:

Mental Health Education:

Little or no progress achieved

Some progress achieved

Meaningful progress achieved

Substantial progress achieved

HOW INDIANA COMPARES

State Rankings from Mental Health America iv  

2015

2020

2021

2022

Overall State Rank for Youth Mental Health

14

19

28

26

Youth with At Least One Major Depressive Episode in the Past Year

41,000 / 7.58%

74,000 / 13.77%

84,000 / 15.71%

89,000 / 16.61%

Youth with Major Depressive Episodes in the
Past Year Who Did Not Receive Treatment

Not Asked

40,000 / 54.8%

48,000 / 53%

50,000 / 51.50%

Youth with Major Severe Depressive Episodes in the Past Year

Not Asked

54,000 / 10.4%

66,000 / 12.7%

76,000 / 14.50%

Youth with Severe Major Depressive Episodes
Who Received Some Consistent Treatment

Not Asked

14,000 / 27.80%

16,000 / 26.1%

23,000 / 32.90%

Students Identified with Emotional Disturbance
for an Individualized Education Program

13,070 / 13.71%

12,798 / 13.73%

12,838 / 13.41%

12,712 /13.36%

Youth with Private Insurance That Did Not
Cover Mental or Emotional Problems

39,641 / 28.5%

22,000 / 7.7%

22,000 / 7.1%

22,000 / 7.40%

Youth with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year

32,000 / 5.92%

18,000 / 3.29%

18,000 / 3.37%

23,000 / 4.20%

i. Projections of education statistics to 2022. National Center of Education Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2014/2014051.pdf.
ii. The state of Mental Health in America. Mental Health America. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america.
iii. The state of Mental Health in America. Mental Health America. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america.
iv. The state of Mental Health in America. Mental Health America. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america.
Indiana

By The Numbers

1,026,000

Number of K-12 Students (2022 Projection)i

89,000
Children with major depressionii
50,000

Children with major depression who do not receive treatmentiii

1:2,607

Ratio of School Psychologists to Students
(Recommended Ratio 1:500)

1:1,829

Ratio of School Social Workers to Students
(Recommended Ratio 1:250)

1:497

Ratio of School Counselors to Students
(Recommended Ratio 1:250)

Take Action
in Indiana

There is a national emergency in children’s mental health. Children and youth are experiencing soaring rates of anxiety, depression, trauma, loneliness, and suicidality. 

Take Action

Children and youth are experiencing soaring rates of anxiety, depression, trauma, loneliness, and suicidality. Mental health challenges can affect success at school and in life, yet few students get the help they need to thrive.

The Hopeful Futures Campaign, a coalition of national organizations, is committed to ensuring that every student has access to effective and supportive school mental health care. The campaign’s school mental health report cards highlight accomplishments and provide important action steps to help address the children’s mental health crisis in every state.

At A Glance: State School Mental Health Policies

School Mental Health Professionals:

School-Family-Community Partnerships:

Teacher and Staff Training:

Funding
Supports:

Well-Being Checks:

Healthy School Climate:

Skills for Life Success:

Mental Health Education:

Little or no progress achieved

Some progress achieved

Meaningful progress achieved

Substantial progress achieved

HOW INDIANA COMPARES

State Rankings from Mental Health America iv  

2015

2020

2021

2022

Overall State Rank for Youth Mental Health

14

19

28

26

Youth with At Least One Major Depressive Episode in the Past Year

41,000 / 7.58%

74,000 / 13.77%

84,000 / 15.71%

89,000 / 16.61%

Youth with Major Depressive Episodes in the
Past Year Who Did Not Receive Treatment

Not Asked

40,000 / 54.8%

48,000 / 53%

50,000 / 51.50%

Youth with Major Severe Depressive Episodes in the Past Year

Not Asked

54,000 / 10.4%

66,000 / 12.7%

76,000 / 14.50%

Youth with Severe Major Depressive Episodes
Who Received Some Consistent Treatment

Not Asked

14,000 / 27.80%

16,000 / 26.1%

23,000 / 32.90%

Students Identified with Emotional Disturbance
for an Individualized Education Program

13,070 / 13.71%

12,798 / 13.73%

12,838 / 13.41%

12,712 /13.36%

Youth with Private Insurance That Did Not
Cover Mental or Emotional Problems

39,641 / 28.5%

22,000 / 7.7%

22,000 / 7.1%

22,000 / 7.40%

Youth with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year

32,000 / 5.92%

18,000 / 3.29%

18,000 / 3.37%

23,000 / 4.20%

i. Projections of education statistics to 2022. National Center of Education Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2014/2014051.pdf.
ii. The state of Mental Health in America. Mental Health America. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america.
iii. The state of Mental Health in America. Mental Health America. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america.
iv. The state of Mental Health in America. Mental Health America. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america.

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School Mental Health Professionals

Little or no progress achieved

School psychologists, social workers, and counselors who, together, provide a range of necessary mental health services in schools. 

 

Current Policy:

  • School psychologists: Indiana has one school psychologist for every 2,607 students (the recommended ratio is 1:500).
  • School social workers: Indiana has one school social worker for every 1,829 students (the recommended ratio is 1:250).
  • School counselors: Indiana has one school counselor for every 497 students (the recommended ratio is 1:250).

 

Policy Opportunity:

  • Invest in significantly improving the ratios of school psychologists, school social workers, and counselors in K-12, including through telehealth partnerships and workforce programs that incentivize careers in mental health.

School-Family-Community Partnerships

Meaningful progress achieved

Policies that support and enable schools to engage with families and community partners.   

 

Current Policy:

  • Family/community engagement: State regulations encourage, but do not require, districts to adopt plans, policies, or strategies to engage parents and families in the educational process.
  • Behavioral health commission: Code § 12-21-7 (2020) establishes the Indiana Behavioral Health Commission, comprised of parents, public officials, and mental health providers. The Commission must prepare reports on behavioral and mental health in Indiana, barriers to treatment, and inventories and assessments of the state’s integrated, school-based mental health service program as well as related evidence-based preventative programs.

 

Policy Opportunity:

  • Require, rather than encourage, school districts to adopt family engagement plans.
  • Require partnerships between school districts and community mental health providers that ensure access to services for students with ongoing needs.

Teacher and Staff Training:

Some progress achieved

Policies that support training of teachers and staff in mental health, substance use, and suicide prevention. 

 

Current Policy:

  • Teacher/staff training: Code § 20-28-3-6 (2020) requires teachers and other appropriate employees at schools who teach students in grades 5-12 to attend and participate in at least two hours of research-based, in-service youth suicide awareness and prevention training every three years.

 

Policy Opportunity:

  • Expand on existing training requirements to ensure K-12 teachers and staff receive regular training on mental health and substance use conditions, including available school and community-based services and resources.

Funding Supports

Some progress achieved

Policies that help support funding of school mental health services for Medicaid-eligible students.   

 

Current Policy:

  • Medicaid coverage: Indiana recently passed legislation permitting the state Medicaid agency to submit a state program amendment that would cover school-based mental health services for all Medicaid-eligible students.
  • Medicaid telehealth: State Medicaid program covers school-based mental health services delivered via telehealth.

 

Policy Opportunity:

  • Expand Medicaid billing to include school-based mental health services, including via telehealth, for all Medicaid eligible students (beyond students with an IEP).
  • Ensure the state Medicaid program covers services delivered by school psychologists, social workers, and school counselors.

Well-Being Checks

Little or no progress achieved

Regular checks of mental wellness that help identify students and staff who may need support.   

 

Current Policy:

  • No well-being checks required.

 

Policy Opportunity:

  • Require annual well-being checks for all students and staff in K-12.

Healthy School Climate

Some progress achieved

Policies that foster safe, supportive schools, including anti-bullying policies, school climate surveys, inclusive environment (anti-discrimination) policies, excused absences for mental health, alternatives to exclusionary discipline, and suicide prevention programs.

 

Current Policy:

  • Anti-bullying:
  • Ind. Code § 20-33-8-13.5 (2018) addresses requirements for prohibiting bullying and ensuring appropriate responses to bullying behaviors; including reporting, discipline for teachers who fail to investigate bullying, and follow-up services for the victim (support) and the bully (bullying education).
  •  Ind. Code §§ 5-2-10.1-11(c)(2)(A) (2016), 20-19-3-11.5 (2018), and 20-30-5-5.5 (2013) establish the Department of Education’s role in: (1) developing an appropriate curriculum that includes bullying identification, prevention, and intervention training; (2) providing resources to parents and school officials regarding bullying and cyberbullying; and (3) enforcing that each public school provides age-appropriate, research-based instruction on bullying prevention. 
  • Inclusive Environment: Code § 20-28-3-3.5 (2020) establishes guidelines for cultivating positive classroom and school climates that are culturally responsive. Focuses include: (1) classroom management strategies; (2) restorative justice; (3) positive behavior interventions and supports; (4) social and emotional training; and, (5) conflict resolution.

 

Policy Opportunity:

  • Enact legislation to address additional healthy school climate policies, such as requiring annual school climate surveys, permitting excused absences for mental health concerns, requiring age-appropriate suicide prevention education for students, and requiring adoption of alternatives to exclusionary discipline that keep youth in school, with services and supports to get their lives on track.

Skills for Life Success

Meaningful progress achieved

Skills, such as responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and self-management, that help students succeed in school and life.   

 

Current Policy:

 

Policy Opportunity:

  • Require adoption of evidence-based life skills education for K-12, including making training in the curriculum available to parents and caregivers.

Mental Health Education

Little or no progress achieved

Health education in K-12 that includes instruction on mental health.   

Current Policy:

  • No mental health education required.

Policy Opportunity:

  • Require K-12 health education to explicitly include education on mental health, similar to legislation passed by New York and Virginia.