Take Action Mental Health in Your State

Michigan

By The Numbers

1,521,000

Number of K-12 Students (2022 Projection)i

125,000
Children with major depressionii
74,000

Children with major depression who do not receive treatmentiii

1:2,184

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

1:1,750

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

1:691

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

Take Action
in Michigan

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 MICHIGAN COMPARES

State Rankings from Mental Health America iv  

2015

2020

2021

2022

Overall State Rank for Youth Mental Health

44

20

27

27

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

82,000 / 10.06%

107,000 / 13.87%

117,000 / 15.36%

125,000 / 16.55%

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

Not Asked

64,000 / 59.8%

66,000 / 55.7%

74,000 / 59.70%

Youth with Major Severe Depressive Episodes in the Past Year

Not Asked

68,000 / 9.1%

84,000 / 11.3%

87,000 / 11.90%

Youth with Severe Major Depressive Episodes
Who Received Some Consistent Treatment

Not Asked

19,000 / 29.2%

24,000 / 29.8%

26,000 / 30.40%

Students Identified with Emotional Disturbance
for an Individualized Education Program

12,498 / 8.75%

11,273 / 8.26%

11,458 / 8.45%

11,314 / 8.52%

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

57,703 / 32.0%

18,000 / 4.3%

23,000 / 5.5%

27,000 / 6.10%

Youth with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year

57,000 / 7.01%

30,000 / 3.87%

28,000 / 3.64%

30,000 / 3.98%

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.
Michigan

By The Numbers

1,521,000

Number of K-12 Students (2022 Projection)i

125,000
Children with major depressionii
74,000

Children with major depression who do not receive treatmentiii

1:2,184

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

1:1,750

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

1:691

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

Take Action
in Michigan

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 MICHIGAN COMPARES

State Rankings from Mental Health America iv  

2015

2020

2021

2022

Overall State Rank for Youth Mental Health

44

20

27

27

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

82,000 / 10.06%

107,000 / 13.87%

117,000 / 15.36%

125,000 / 16.55%

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

Not Asked

64,000 / 59.8%

66,000 / 55.7%

74,000 / 59.70%

Youth with Major Severe Depressive Episodes in the Past Year

Not Asked

68,000 / 9.1%

84,000 / 11.3%

87,000 / 11.90%

Youth with Severe Major Depressive Episodes
Who Received Some Consistent Treatment

Not Asked

19,000 / 29.2%

24,000 / 29.8%

26,000 / 30.40%

Students Identified with Emotional Disturbance
for an Individualized Education Program

12,498 / 8.75%

11,273 / 8.26%

11,458 / 8.45%

11,314 / 8.52%

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

57,703 / 32.0%

18,000 / 4.3%

23,000 / 5.5%

27,000 / 6.10%

Youth with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year

57,000 / 7.01%

30,000 / 3.87%

28,000 / 3.64%

30,000 / 3.98%

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: Michigan has one school psychologist for every 2,184 students (the recommended ratio is 1:500).
  • School social workers: Michigan has one school social worker for every 1,750 students (the recommended ratio is 1:250).
  • School counselors: Michigan has one school counselor for every 691 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

Substantial progress achieved

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

Current Policy:

  • Family/community engagement:  State statutes and policies require districts to adopt plans, policies, or strategies to engage parents and families in the educational process.
  • Advisory council: MCL 388.1631n(2) (2021) Michigan created an advisory council for school mental health programs.
  • Mental health partnership: MCL 330.1227 (1996) Michigan requires community mental health services programs to develop and provide individualized school-to-community transition services for individuals with serious mental illness, serious emotional disturbance, or developmental disability beginning at the age of 16.

Teacher and Staff Training:

Little or no progress achieved

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

Current Policy:

  • No required teacher/staff training in recommended behavioral health topics.

Policy Opportunity:

  • Require regular training to ensure K-12 teachers and staff receive regular training on mental health conditions, substance use conditions, and suicide awareness and prevention, including available school and community-based services and resources.

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:
    • MCL 380.1310b (2017) Michigan requires school districts to develop, obtain state approval of, and implement a formal anti-bullying policy. 
    • MCL 380.1310b(8) (2017) Michigan grants defamation immunity to school employees, volunteers, students, or parents who promptly report, in good faith, instances of bullying. 
    • MCL 380.1310b((6)(a) (2017) Michigan encourages schools to form bullying prevention taskforces, programs, teen courts, and other initiatives involving school staff, students, student groups, parents, law enforcement, and other community stakeholders. 
    • MCL 380.1310b(6)(b) Michigan encourages schools to require annual training for school administrators and employees on preventing, identifying, responding to, and reporting incidents of bullying.
  • Suicide prevention:
    • MCL 380.1893 (2020) Michigan requires any school district issuing an identification card to students in grades 7 through 12 to include contact information for a suicide prevention hotline. 
    • MCL 380.1171 (2006) Michigan encourages school boards to provide age-appropriate instruction for students, staff, and teachers, concerning the warning signs and risk factors for suicide and depression, and also provide resources for suicide prevention.

 

Policy Opportunity:

  • Enact legislation to address additional healthy school climate policies, such as requiring annual school climate surveys, promoting an inclusive environment through anti-discrimination policies, permitting excused absences for mental health concerns, 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:

  • Life skills: Michigan health education standards include social and emotional health in K-8 and 9-12.

 

Policy Opportunity:

  • Establish existing education standards for K-12 life skills competencies in statute.

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 in K-12.

 

Policy Opportunity:

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