U.P. sees increase in depression among middle schoolers

By Allison Joy 
IRON COUNTY — Data collected by Upper Peninsula Communities That Care shows an increase in depression among junior high students, according to Great Lakes Recovery Center’s Tracy Johnson, who serves as director of preventive services. 
The survey is conducted every two years and overseen by the GLRC. Every sixth, eighth, tenth and twelfth-grader is asked to complete a survey tracking substance use and mental health issues. 
“We really thought that in 10th grade we were going to see negative numbers,” Johnson told TV6 late last month. “In Covid, the numbers went down by two percent for tenth grade. Then, our sixth and eighth-grade numbers went up quite significantly.”
In Iron County, 38.5% of sixth graders reported feeling “depressed or sad most days,” compared to 37.9% of high school seniors. Numbers were higher in eighth and tenth grades, where 50.7% and 57.7% of students reported feeling “depressed or sad most days,” respectively.
When it came to substance abuse in the U.P., alcohol came through as the primary abused substance, by far. Of Iron County sixth-graders, 3.9% reported using alcohol in the last 30 days. None reported using cigarettes and 1.3% reported using marijuana. By eighth grade, 21% of students reported using alcohol, compared to 2.8% for cigarettes and 5.7% for marijuana. Over half of high school seniors reported alcohol use, with 27.3% reporting marijuana use and 16.7% reporting cigarette use. 
Marijuana use among youth in Iron County was on par with national averages, while alcohol and cigarette use were significantly higher in Iron County than the national averages. 
The primary youth risk factors identified in Iron County were depressive symptoms and a muted perception of the risk of substance use. 
“The second leading cause of death is suicide in ages 10-24,” Johnson said. “That is very young.”