The federal campaign, entitled Free Mind, aims to provide teens and their parents or caregivers with “resources and information about substance use, mental health and the connection between the two.”
The efforts revolve around the messaging that “drugs and mental health don’t mix” according to the landing page of the new campaign on the CDC’s website.
Substance use, however, can cause or worsen anxiety, sadness, anger and depression, according to the CDC. It can also affect a patient’s memory or mood.
The CDC describes that drug overdose crisis as “constantly evolving” and “an important public health issue.”
More than 80,000 Americans died from a drug overdose last year, according to CDC data. In the last four years, 75% of overdose deaths among pre-teens and teenagers ages 10 to 19 involved illegally made fentanyl.
The number of teens reporting poor mental health has increased in the past decade, with 40% of high school students stopping regular activities because of persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2023. One in five students have seriously considered attempting suicide, according to the CDC.
“Teens may use alcohol and other substances to help them cope with stress, anxiety, and depression,” said Dr. Allison Arwady, director of the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, in a press release.
The agency said it spoke with adolescents. about their perceptions surrounding substance use in order to develop the messaging and branding for the new campaign. The initiative “seeks to resonate with this age group by addressing the connections between substance use and mental health, risk factors that contribute to drug use, and strategies to keep them safe,” according to the CDC.
