Fifty-five percent of Durham residents surveyed as part of the Community Health Assessment
identified mental health as a top community priority.^10,13 This report focuses on adolescent mental health due to a lack of county level data for adults. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), which is administered to Durham Public School (DPS) students, shows increasing levels of depression among adolescents. The percent of middle school students who reported being depressed increased slightly from 24% in 2013 to 26% in 2017. A similar increase was seen among high school students during the same time period (24% to 30%). Females reported the highest levels of depression among middle and high school students.¹⁵

High school students were asked about suicide ideation in the 12 months leading up to the survey. Among high school students, 16% considered committing suicide. There was not a significant change from 2015 to 2017. However, differences by race, ethnicity, and sex were significant during the 2017 school year.¹⁵ 

 Why are there inequities?
The percent of white students reporting suicide ideation was the highest of any race; the percent of white students who attempted suicide was the lowest. While the percentage of Latinx students who considered suicide was lower than white students, most Latinx students who considered suicide attempted suicide.15 Differences in access to mental health services may contribute to inequities in attempted suicide by race.8