Surgo Health, in partnership with Pivotal, a network of organizations founded by Melinda French Gates, and SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios, has launched the interactive, publicly available Youth Mental Health Tracker (YMHT), the nation’s most comprehensive database on youth mental health and wellbeing.

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In a new white paper, “The Youth Mental Health Tracker: Uplifting Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing from Crisis to Empowerment,” Surgo Health reveals key findings that showcase the complexity and duality of youth mental health, including how many young people perceive happiness despite reported struggles, the impact of parents on care-seeking, and the unique challenges and opportunities for different groups of young people.

To translate these insights into actionable policy recommendations, Surgo Health and national mental health policy advocacy organization Inseparable have also released “Beyond the Crisis: Policy Pathways to Uplift Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing,” offering recommendations for policymakers to improve youth mental health across the U.S.

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“The YMHT was designed not only to highlight where we urgently need to step up efforts to address the youth mental health crisis but also to give young people a platform to delve deeper into the complex factors that inform their overall wellbeing,” said Dr. Sema Sgaier, CEO of Surgo Health. “Now is the time to invest in the research and policy changes necessary to equip our young people with the tools they need to thrive as they enter adulthood.”

Announced at the Clinton Global Initiative’s 2023 annual meeting, and featuring data from its inaugural surveys conducted in April and May 2024, combined with existing data sources, the tracker offers unique insights into the mental health and wellbeing of more than 4,500 individuals aged 10 to 24 across diverse demographics—a dual framework not yet explored by other trackers. The platform also includes Surgo’s ThriveAtlas™ which measures the upstream factors that influence youth mental health and wellbeing at a county and state level.

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Utilizing phone interviews, online panels, and social media outreach—with a focus on BIPOC youth, LGBTQ+ youth, and those facing financial difficulties—the survey, ethically approved by NORC and Advarra IRBs, aimed to capture diverse perspectives. These findings, detailed in Surgo Health’s new white paper emphasize that understanding the duality between mental health and wellbeing—defined as a state of contentment, positive relationships, and purposeful fulfillment marked by happiness, life satisfaction, optimism, and resilience—is crucial for a holistic approach to addressing youth mental health. With this broader perspective, the tracker uncovered findings in key areas:

Despite Challenges, Many Young People are Thriving, Taking Positive Actions to Support Their Mental Health and Expressing Optimism

  • 47% of young people haven’t experienced significant mental health struggles over the past two years and report being satisfied with life and happy overall.
  • 9 out of 10 young people are engaging in activities to improve their mental health and wellbeing, such as spending time with friends (85%), getting enough sleep (82%), and exercising (77%).
  • Even among youth who reported mental health struggles, 50% remain optimistic about their future and feel that their actions are meaningful.

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Parental Support and Acceptance is Vital to Youth Care Seeking

  • Youth who feel emotionally supported by their family are 1.5 times more likely to feel satisfied with life (88%) than those who do not feel supported (57%).
  • Lack of parental support is a significant barrier to seeking care; 83% of youth did not seek care because they were worried about talking to their parents, and 32% had parents that did not support their desire to engage.
  • Nearly one-third of youth with significant struggles do not seek care, often due to concerns about parental acceptance, costs, or uncertainty about care options. Over 60% who need care do not complete it.

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LGBTQ+ Youth Face Greater Challenges and Lack Support

  • LGBTQ+ youth are three times more likely to feel dissatisfied with life (45%).
  • 1 in 2 LGBTQ+ youth feel unsupported emotionally by their family (as compared to 1 in 4 non-LGBTQ+ youth), and 76% of LGBTQ+ youth have experienced discrimination based on their gender and/or sexual orientation.

“We are proud to support the launch of this vital tool for understanding youth mental health and wellbeing, highlighting the actions young people and families are taking to thrive,” said Renee Wittemyer, Vice President, Program Strategy at Pivotal. “This survey uses asset framing, which goes beyond the typical mental health crisis-driven headlines to uncover the key factors empowering young people. At Pivotal, we believe amplifying these positive insights can drive more impactful policy and unlock the extraordinary power of today’s youth.”

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“MTV Entertainment has been harnessing the power of storytelling to spark conversations, inspire action and drive meaningful change on youth mental health for decades,” said Noopur Agarwal, VP of Social Impact, MTV Entertainment Studios. “We are thrilled to partner with Surgo Health and Pivotal to bring new data and groundbreaking insights to light that will inform the way we represent mental health in our own content while also supporting the broader entertainment industry in telling authentic stories that better promote the wellbeing of young people.”

The YMHT is designed not only to share key findings but also to inform policy change. To make the tracker an actionable tool, Surgo Health partnered with national mental health advocacy organization Inseparable to release a new policy playbook. The playbook offers a set of policy recommendations grounded in data from Surgo Health, providing strategies for creating environments where youth can thrive—from strengthening social support networks to integrating mental health services within schools and communities. Together, these recommendations form a roadmap for policymakers, educators, and advocates committed to enhancing youth mental health and wellbeing.

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“We know that prevention and early intervention work. By making sure children and youth have strong mental health supports in their schools and communities, we can help them become happy, healthy, and resilient,” said Bill Smith, CEO of Inseparable. “We are proud to partner with Surgo Health to turn the insights from these new data into actionable policy recommendations that will help set children and youth across the country on the path to wellbeing and success.”

To ensure the tracker remains current with real-time insights into adolescent mental health and wellbeing in the U.S., Surgo Health—with funding from SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios and Pivotal—will continue this project through 2026, conducting three additional surveys and engaging 6,000 more young people. 

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Source – Prnewswire