Dealing with mental illness is tough, especially when it hits close to home and involves a loved one. It becomes even harder to navigate when you watch your child struggle with things like depression, bi-polar disorder and more.

State Senator Dawn White from Murfreesboro told WGNS NEWS…

The added dollars, previously proposed in 2021, go into the Mental Health Trust Fund to help support children in Kindergarten through 12th grade. The available funds were earmarked to create stronger mental health services for school-aged children.

White said that mental health problems were on the rise pre-COVID-19 and the inner battles that children face rose even higher throughout the COVID Pandemic. Those inner battles often have real-life physical ties that started the chain of mental illness.

Some of the biggest problems that lead to increased numbers of depression, anger and anxiety in children is child sexual abuse.

When the COVID Pandemic was at its peak, reports of child abuse and child sexual abuse dipped. Senator White said the decreased reports of child abuse occurred when schools closed and students headed to a virtual classroom from home, as opposed to being in an actual classroom.

Fewer reports of child abuse and child sex abuse were just that – fewer reports and not fewer crimes against children. The childhood victims simply lacked a trusted adult to turn to in times of trouble if the abuse involved a family member…



Psychologist report that children who have been abused face an increased risk of long-term problems that include everything from addiction to depression.

Senator Dawn White in Murfreesboro serves District 13 in Rutherford County.

In Rutherford and Cannon Counties, the Child Advocacy Center serves child abuse victims, child sexual abuse victims and drug endangered children. The CAC can be reached at 615-867-9000.

Report Child Sex Abuse by Calling 877-237-0004