Illinois state Rep. Lindsay LaPointe champions the universal mental health bill now on its way to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk, calling it a vital initial move in the effort to safeguard some of the state’s most at-risk youth.
“We are in a raging mental health crisis and in particular for our youth,” LaPointe, D-Chicago, told The Center Square. “The whole point of quick screeners is to just make sure that we’re making that the norm and we’re destigmatizing it. At least once a year, we’re having a brief screener to try to identify the ways in which our youth are struggling earlier rather than way later.”
With the backing of LaPointe, Senate Bill 1560 aims to mandate that public schools statewide provide “age appropriate, confidential mental health screenings” designed to guide students in need towards essential support services. Experts emphasize the importance of early detection, leading the seasoned legislator to advocate for screenings to potentially begin as early as third grade for certain students.
LaPointe contends that today’s youth encounter unprecedented challenges as they strive to navigate a world increasingly dominated by the digital realm.
“Social media is very challenging for our youth and I believe that social media and very easy access to technology does exacerbate our youth mental health crisis,” she said. “There’s a lot of online bullying; there’s a lot of comparing yourselves to other people. For youth and teens in particular, the social media and technology and smartphones do exacerbate it.”
LaPointe emphasizes that the screenings, which parents can choose to opt out of for their children, should not be seen as a cure-all for what she perceives as an escalating issue.
“I would say universal mental health screenings in public schools are one piece of the puzzle,” she said. “What I would hope to see accomplished through this is an increased awareness of mental health issues amongst our kids, most importantly prevention and early identification so we can better connect you to the support that they need earlier. Then we can really prevent much larger problems in the future.”
In a significant development, approximately 27% of public schools statewide have implemented universal screenings, while an additional 40% engage in screenings to varying extents.
SB 1560 has successfully cleared the House with a decisive 72-36 vote, following its unanimous approval in the Senate.
