There’s a quiet crisis unfolding across West Virginia.

Our young people are hurting and far too often, they’re navigating it alone.

Suicide is now the second leading cause of death for West Virginians ages 10 to 24. More than 60% of youth with major depression receive no treatment, and 26 counties across our state don’t have a single practicing child or adolescent psychiatrist. These are not just statistics–they’re warning signs for all of us to listen more deeply.

The truth is, we can’t talk about the youth mental health crisis in 2025 without acknowledging the shadow that COVID-19 still casts. The pandemic didn’t just interrupt school years, it disrupted trust, connection and stability. It separated young people from the anchors they depended on, while simultaneously compounding anxiety, grief and uncertainty. That kind of impact doesn’t go away just because classrooms reopened, or headlines moved on.

At NAMI in West Virginia, we believe that one of the most powerful things we can do right now is to make space and share power. It’s not enough to talk about young people. They deserve to be included in shaping the conversations, programs and policies that affect their everyday lives.

That’s why we’re launching our Young Adult Advisory Board (YAAB), a new statewide effort that invites 18- to 25-year-olds to take an active role in building mental health solutions. These young leaders won’t just weigh in. They’ll co-create.

Our vision is to have a YAAB representative on every college and university campus in West Virginia, ensuring that students from all corners of the state have a voice in what comes next.

YAAB members will meet regularly to identify community needs, develop mental health events and campaigns, advise NAMI in West Virginia’s programming and represent their generation’s voice in real decisions. They’ll also attend a leadership retreat where they can build skills, form connections and feel seen.

This board was created because young people in West Virginia have always had something to say. We’re just making sure they have a place to say it.

There’s a saying I’ve always loved, “Sometimes you don’t wait for an invitation, you just include yourself.” That’s what we want this board to model. Inclusion, not permission. Community, not hierarchy.

We’re proud to support this next generation of advocates not as spokespeople, but as partners, creators and leaders in their own right.

These young leaders aren’t just the future of mental health in West Virginia–they’re already shaping it.

(Julie Gomez is the executive director of NAMI in West Virginia. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the largest grassroots mental health organization in the United States.)