BROWN COUNTY– In 2019, a survey of Minnesota middle school and high school students indicated 26% of them were living with an individual with depression or mental health issues.

In the three years since, the need for mental health services has only increased, but finding available resources is a continued struggle.

This information and other statistics on mental health were presented Tuesday during a presentation on Adverse Childhood Experiences. The presentation was offered by Heart of New Ulm’s Brown County Mental Health and Wellbeing Action Team in collaboration with the Families First Collaborative of Brown County.

The presentation focused on adverse childhood experiences that can impact mental health and physical health later in life. The initial ACE study conducted in the 1990s found that long-term stress from ACE can impact the function of brain regions and hinder development.

During the initial study, 10 ACEs were identified and are considered the most common. This includes substance abuse, parental separation, mental illness, domestic abuse, criminal behavior, emotional neglect, physical neglect, emotional abuse, physical abuse and sexual abuse.

Since the initial study, other ACEs were identified including racism, bullying, poverty and homelessness.

Family Wise Director of Prevention Initiatives Barb Sorum said war can also be an ACE. She cited to the recent conflict in Ukraine in which many children were forced to live underground for months.

The COVID pandemic could also be consider an ACE. Sorum said the pandemic was a trauma for many kids. Over the last two years children have not experienced normal development. Many were forced to remain home with parents who were undergoing their own stress.

Sorum said many kids missed windows of time in the learning process because of COVID, but said these kids will make it up.

“Its going to take some times and patience, but we’re going to make it up,” Sorum said.

Even in scenarios where a person’s brain was negatively impact by stress, she said, they could be retrained or remolded.

The presentation included state and local data taken from the 2019 Minnesota Student Survey. The survey is given every three years to students in eighth, ninth and 11th grade and include questions that identify ACEs in the population.

Brown County ACE scores were higher than the state average in most categories. In only one category was Brown County identical to the state average. In the survey, both Brown County students and Minnesota students indicated 26% of them were living with someone who is depressed or has mental health issues. On all other categories, Brown County scored higher than the state as a whole.

Of Brown County students surveyed, 20% reported a parent who was in jail or was previously jailed. The state rate was 16%.

Physical abuse by a parent was 13% statewide, but in Brown County it was 16%. Statewide, 8% of students had witnessed domestic abuse of a parent and in Brown County it was 11%.

Other questions on the survey indicated 59% of students experienced bullying within a month of taking the survey with 32% experiencing bullying because of physical appearance; 28% their weight; 24% their gender expression and 12% for race, ethnicity or national origins.

Brown County students who did not feel safe in their neighborhoods was 6%, and 11% did not feel safe at their schools. Students also reported 19% experiencing dating violence.

This survey is conducted every three years, with one scheduled for 2022. This will be the first MSS conducted since COVID. The results will be available in the fall, but based on the nationwide trauma of the pandemic mental health professionals are expecting a spike in ACE scores.

Sorum said in terms of responding to results, it will be up to the community to determine the next action. In terms of responding to mental health issues, the community would need find leaders and expand the conversation to include others.

During small-group breakout session, community members attending the presentation were asked to identify challenges and barriers to building mental health resiliency in Brown County. Lack of resources was a top issue; especially in rural areas. Mental health services were not immediately available. Many providers were reporting multi-month waiting lists. Some reported a stigma associated with mental health and a hesitancy to accept change. Personal finance was another factor.

Possible solutions to these barriers included greater outreach; coming to those with mental health issues. Another method was telling positive stories about mental health and speaking out to reduce stigma.

One of the goals of this program was to create a group to continue this conversation. Individuals who were passionate about mental health were needed to take the lead.

The presentation was sponsored by a HONU action team–Brown County Mental Health and Well-Being. HONU representative Jen Mauer said the Mental Health and Well-being team is always looking for new volunteers. Community members looking to get involved were encouraged to contact Heart of New Ulm or Brown County Public Health for more information.