Increasing the dialogue among stakeholders in New Jersey’s special education system

Snapshot: Mental Health Services in New Jersey Schools

Nov 19, 2019 | Snapshot

  1. According to Mental Health America, approximately 15% of teens are reporting some form of self-injury.
  2. 21% of students between the ages of 13 and 18 live with a mental health disorder, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
  3. According to NAMI, 37% of students nationwide with a mental health condition age 14 and older drop out of high school, the highest dropout rate of any disability group.
  4. The New Jersey Department of Children and Families reports that 2,731 young people, ages 10 to 24, were treated in hospital emergency rooms for attempted suicide or self-inflicted injuries in 2013 through 2015, the latest statistics available. Within the same age group, 283 suicides were reported.
  5. 50% of youth aged 8-15 who have a diagnosed mental illness did not receive mental health services the previous year.
  6. In New Jersey in 2018, local school districts identified more than 7,500 students with disabilities as having an emotional disturbance, representing .55% of the New Jersey school population.