A new Youth Mental Health Report from Centerstone paints a stark picture of the growing crisis facing Tennessee teens. The report reveals widespread struggles with anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts, alongside significant barriers to accessing care – placing Tennessee last in the nation for youth mental health service availability.
On an average day in May 2025, Tennesseans placed more than 200 calls to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Nearly one in five high school students in the state reported significant anxiety or depression, and one in five said they had seriously considered suicide. Juniors reported the highest rates of poor mental health and suicidal thoughts, according to the report, which draws heavily on state and federal data, including the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System.
The Centerstone report situates Tennessee’s experience within broader national trends. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 42% of U.S. high school students say they feel persistently sad or hopeless, with even higher rates among female and LGBTQ+ students. More than one in five have seriously considered suicide, and one in 10 have attempted it.
Tennessee ranks 50th in the nation for youth access to mental health care, the Centerstone report states. An estimated 66% of young people with clinical depression go untreated, and only 12% receive consistent treatment. Barriers include affordability, availability, community perceptions and transportation.
Meanwhile, a range of stressors are contributing to worsening mental health outcomes. The report highlights a U.S. Surgeon General advisory on social media, which found that adolescents who spend more than three hours a day online are at double the risk of experiencing depression and anxiety. The average teen spends 3.5 hours on social media daily.
Exposure to mass violence is another factor: one in five high school students has witnessed violence in their community, with marginalized groups facing disproportionate impacts.
Societal factors such as poverty, food insecurity, homelessness and lack of access to health care and education further compound these challenges, the report notes.
With Tennessee ranking 46th nationally for untreated major depressive episodes among youth, schools are becoming critical hubs for mental health services. Seventy percent of American children who receive mental health care do so in school settings. Yet only 55% of U.S. public schools offer mental health assessments, and just 42% provide treatment, according to data cited in the Centerstone report. Shortages of mental health professionals exacerbate the strain.
Centerstone itself delivers school-based services in more than 900 schools nationwide, including over 400 in Tennessee. These partnerships have been shown to improve attendance, graduation rates, discipline and school climate, while providing critical early interventions.
The report urges parents to watch for warning signs that a child might be struggling, such as changes in sleep or eating habits, persistent sadness, withdrawal from activities, substance use, self-harm, difficulty concentrating or declining academic performance. Regular conversations about mental health can help normalize these discussions and make it easier for children to share their feelings.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends routine anxiety screenings for youth ages 8–18 and depression screenings for adolescents 12–18.
“If you’re wondering if you should seek care for your child, the answer is, ‘Yes,’” says Dr. Matt Hardy, regional chief operating officer for Centerstone. “By the time you’re considering a call for help, it’s time to seek support.”
Source: Centerstone