By: Haley Pierce, Manager, FMI Foundation
Alongside the heat and allergies that this month brings, May also brings the promise of spring flowers, the excitement of driving with your windows down and the ever-pressing anticipation of summer vacation. May also serves as an integral time to discuss mental health, resilience, support and wellness with the start of Mental Health Awareness Month.
This year, the week of May 4th to 10th serves as Children's Mental Health Action Week, spearheaded by the National Federation of Families, a vital partner in the FMI Foundation's Family Meals Movement. This isn't just another awareness week; it's a call to action for a generation grappling with unprecedented mental health challenges.
Current Data on Youth Mental Health
The data is alarming: 40% of high school students report debilitating hopelessness or sadness and 1 in 5 youth have experienced a major depressive episode in the past year, with over half going untreated for a variety of reasons. This gap demands urgent attention, mirroring a global crisis where the majority of the 8% of children and 15% of adolescents experiencing mental health issues or disorders worldwide don't receive help.
The Economic Impact
Neglecting youth mental health has far-reaching economic consequences. A report by Nashville-based Meharry Medical College and Deloitte signals that the economic cost of mental health inequities in the U.S. is projected to reach $1.3 trillion annually by 2040, with cumulative costs potentially totaling $14 trillion. Moreover, a study in 2010 conducted by Smith and Smith using data from the U.S. Panel Study of Income Dynamics finds that adults who have suffered from mental health problems before the age of 16 have family incomes 20 percent lower than their own siblings, a lifetime difference of $300,000.
A Global Movement for Change
Across the world, initiatives for those contending with mental health issues or disorders are emerging from Australia and Pakistan to Kentucky. Even the Ice Bucket Challenge, originally introduced as a challenge to support ALS back in 2014, has been repurposed by students from the University of South Carolina to support youth mental health to the tune of over $405,000. This network of activity may seem disparate, but indicates the groundswell of support from creative people to address youth and adult mental health.
Our Collective Responsibility
Children's Mental Health Action Week is a call to:
Support early intervention and prevention programs.
Destigmatize mental health conversations, especially around the table at your daily or weekly family meals.
Empower caregivers and educators to serve as support structures, not only at your next family meal, but at snack time, on the way back from school.
Learn from successful global initiatives to create community impact.
Support the National Federation of Families and the FMI Foundation's digital actions and repost any of our infographics below. Be visible to your networks as a supporter of youth mental health through family meals!
Host a family meal with an unexpected guest: a community member, a coworker, a mentor, or fellow student from school.
According to the 2025 Family Meals Barometer report, sharing a family meal has implications for connection (53% feel more connected through family meals than a year ago), financial wellness (61% agree to have more family meals because they are more economical), and civility (74% agree that family meals are great times to have and teach respectful interactions).
The mental health of our children is a societal imperative. Let this week be the catalyst for meaningful action, whether it’s hosting a meal to connect on what matters or finally signing up to mentor at-risk youth community members who need it. Their future, and ours, depends on it.
