States and school districts around the United States are approving legislation to allow students to take mental health days as young people struggle with anxiety and depression.
Oregon and Utah allow absences for reasons related to mental health, and California, New York, and Florida currently have legislative proposals to give students mental health days, according to the Washington Post. They follow Minnesota’s lead, the first state to pass legislation in 2009 that excused mental health-related absences.
The trend occurs at a time when suicide rates in the U.S. are rising, particularly among the youth.
A report by the Commonwealth Fund released Thursday found the U.S. has the highest rate of suicides compared with nearly a dozen other wealthy countries.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said suicide was the second leading cause of death for people between the ages of 10 and 24 in 2017. The rate increased 56% between 2007 and 2017.
