The newly formed Arizona House Ad Hoc Committee on Teen Mental Health is tasked with taking a substantive look into the issues and causes affecting teen mental health, including substance abuse, depression, and suicide, and to identify potential solutions and improvements.
The Ad Hoc Committee on Teen Mental Health, which will consist of members of the House of Representatives and of the community, is intended to research and review information regarding how substance abuse, bullying, and social media may affect mental health in Arizona’s youth, including teen suicide. The committee is to identify potential solutions and make recommendations to public and private agencies with the goal of addressing teen mental health issues and improving access to mental health care.
Community member appointments to the Committee are expected to be made soon, and are to include a parent who has lost a child to suicide, a pediatrician, and representatives from the education community, faith-based community, law enforcement, the Governor’s office, and the public.
The committee will begin a series of public hearings in June and will issue its findings and recommendations in a report in December.