Grandparent’s concerns: Addressing teen suicide and mental health funding

Thank you for the series on teen suicide. This topic has been on my mind for years, since I now have grandchildren who are becoming teenagers.

When Minnesota had a $17.9 billion surplus, my thought was that it should be put towards mental health. As the story about Jonas Wagner indicated, we don’t have enough professional help for kids or adults. Mental health is tied to suicide, crime (car racing, car hijacking, etc.), addiction and homelessness. These are all growing problems in our society. Only a small amount of the surplus was spent on mental health. 

I’ve also wondered about how religion fits into our youth’s lives today. As a Christian, I know that I have help and peace from God that is way different than the peace offered from modern society.

Gary Hammer, Eden Prairie