State Health Officials Say More Teen Boys are Feeling Anxious, Depressed, and Suicidal

Wednesday, May 7th, 2025 -- 2:00 PM

(Anna Marie Yanny, Wisconsin Public Radio) State mental health officials say more teen boys are feeling anxious, depressed and suicidal in recent years, and mental health professionals are offering advice on how adults can help boys who are struggling.

According to Anna Marie Yanny with the Wisconsin Public Radio, the latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey of Wisconsin high schoolers found over one-third of teen boys felt anxious and a quarter felt depressed.

A fact sheet released by the state Office of Children’s Mental Health warns that young men have the lowest level of social support when compared to people of other ages and genders.

National surveys find many young men are feeling lonely and lack close social connections. In Wisconsin, the most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey found 36.4 percent of male high schoolers reported feeling anxious and 24.9 percent reported feeling depressed in 2023.

And males in the state are much more likely to die by suicide, according the office’s report. “We have to do better for our boys when they are boys,” said Senior Research Analyst Amy Marsman in the Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health.

“Almost all mental health problems develop in adolescence, and so if we can teach them some healthy coping skills now and talk about mental health now, they’ll be better off for the rest of their lives."

Teen girls in Wisconsin reported even higher rates of anxiety, depression and self harm than boys in the same survey. “It’s been given more attention … and rightly so,” Marsman said. “But it has come at a cost, and that is that we’ve been overlooking boys’ mental health, and we need to be just as vigilant.”

It’s important to watch for swings in teens’ eating and sleeping habits, along with the amount of time they’re spending with other kids, Marsman said. “I think teachers and coaches are in a particularly good place to help identify some of that withdrawal,” she said. Symptoms of depression might present differently in boys compared to girls.

For example, boys might act more aggressive or fatigued. “They may be reporting that they’re tired when, really, they are not feeling well emotionally,” Marsman said. “Getting boys to understand the connection between their physical symptoms and their mental health, that’s a really important key to this puzzle.”

The FBI says it’s seen a “huge increase” in sextortion targeting children. The crime typically involves adult scammers threatening to share explicit photos or videos of the victim they solicited by pretending to be their own age.

Teen boys ages 14 to 17 accounted for 90 percent of the victims in an analysis of sextortion reports between 2020 and 2023. “They’re highly susceptible, and they feel that there’s no way out of that situation,” Marsman said. “So we really need to make sure that our boys understand where to go for help, that there is help.”

For example, sites like TakeItDown.NCMEC.org can help, she said. The Wisconsin DOJ also recently shared resources for teens and parents. One of the best ways to support boys with their mental health is for adults to model it themselves, Marsman said.

“Especially if that can be done by adult men in their lives: fathers, uncles, coaches, teachers,” she said. “Be really open about your own coping mechanisms, your own feelings, your own mental health.”

Additionally, doctors and healthcare providers can help by emphasizing the connection between mental and physical health. “A lot of young boys are really interested in their physical health and becoming fit,” Marsman said.

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