Behavioral Health Challenges
MENTAL HEALTH
Thirty-nine percent of youth (12-18 years) in Benton and Franklin Counties report feeling sad or hopeless in the past 12 months. Among adults, the number is lower but higher than the state average.
Sixty-two percent of LGBTQ+ youth (12-18 years) report feeling sad or hopeless in the past 12 months.
Mental-Behavioral Health Committee link
SUICIDE
The rate of death by suicide in Benton and Franklin Counties is significantly higher than the state average. More than 10 percent of youth have attempted to take their own life in the past 12 months. LGBTQ+ youth are three times more likely to have attempted suicide than their straight peers.
The age most likely to die by suicide is adults 45 to 65. Men over 65 are more than five times more likely to die by suicide than women.
Youth Suicide Prevention Coalition link
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Stakeholders interviewed for the Community Health Needs Assessment said they are “very concerned” about not having a detox center and a full range of treatment options in the community.
Nearly a third of tenth-graders report using some type of drugs in the past 30 days; marijuana and alcohol are the most common substances mentioned. One in twenty twelvth-graders report using pain killers to get high in the past 30 days. The numbers double for LGBTQ+ youth.
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