Detroit and Flint teens are struggling with their mental health – and worried adults around them feel ‘helpless’

Focus groups with 25 school personnel at a Detroit public high school, plus community advisory meetings in Flint, describe teens carrying depression, anxiety, and exhaustion tied to housing instability, family financial strain, and exposure to violence.

National CDC data from 2023 back up the pattern: nearly 4 in 10 of over 20,000 surveyed high schoolers reported persistent sadness or hopelessness, and 1 in 5 had seriously considered suicide, with young women and LGBTQ+ teens reporting higher rates.

In Flint, six shootings occurred in a single August 2026 weekend, two fatal, one victim a teenage boy, as researchers and community advisory boards call for mental health interventions built with input from teens and parents themselves.

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