The Mental Health Summit 2025, organized by Catholic Social Services (CSS), gathered individuals from various professions and ministries across the diocese with one mission: to respond to the growing mental health crisis.
The summit, held at Hilliard St. Brendan the Navigator Church on March 28, was put on by CSS in collaboration with the diocesan Department of Evangelization and Catechesis and Office of Catholic Schools.
The day featured a presentation by Dr. Andrew Sodergren of Ruah Woods Institute, a Theology of the Body education and healing apostolate in Cincinnati, offering a school curriculum, ongoing formation and psychological services.
A panel discussion was also part of the summit. Panelists included Dr. Sodergren; Mary Ann Jepsen, a local Catholic counselor at Covenant Integrative Counseling Service; Susan Lewis Kaylor; president and CEO at St. Vincent Family Services; Deacon Phil Paulucci, a retired deacon at Columbus St. Peter–St. Joan of Arc parish experienced in pastoral care; and moderator, Father Bob Penhallurick, Episcopal Vicar for Catholic Social Doctrine.
The day began with Mass celebrated by Bishop Earl Fernandes and opening remarks from the bishop. He recognized an epidemic of loneliness and need to address the growing mental health crisis. The bishop acknowledged that most people either struggle with a form of mental illness or know someone who is.
Sodergren, in his morning presentation, agreed that a mental health summit was needed because the Catholic faith compels the faithful to respond to their suffering brothers and sisters.
He said persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, as well as suicidal thoughts and behaviors, have been on the rise for decades. Trends show an increase in these type of feelings beginning 10, 20 years ago or more.
Sodergren shared data that approximately 23 percent of U.S. adults will experience any mental illness in a given year. The percentage is equivalent to about one in four or five adults. Any mental illness covers a broad range: anxiety, depression, attention problems, eating disorders and addictions. The illnesses are shown to have the highest prevalence in young adults.
The percentage is higher for youth. According to the Center for Disease Control, about 28 percent of children ages 3 to 17 have a form of mental behavioral or developmental disorder.
Since 2010, Sodergren said, the rate for major depression among teenage boys increased by 161 percent and 135 percent for teenage girls. He shared data from 2023 that found 20 percent of high school students seriously considered attempting suicide, which is one-in-five students.
Sodergren also presented data from the United Kingdom on referrals to gender identity services during the past several years. He said the country experienced a several-thousand percent increase in the number of children and teenagers coming to gender clinics wanting to transition their biological sex.
“I think this is important because if we’re going to respond in some way, we need to discern what’s at the root of this,” Sodergren said. “I’ve never been a big fan of just treating symptoms.
“Treating symptoms can be helpful and important, especially when the symptom is very serious, life threatening, but that’s only a temporary, short-term approach. If we’re going to make any kind of long-term impact, we have to get to the roots of things.”
From a Catholic view of the human person, Sodergren explained that God created human beings to live in a state of harmony on four levels: with God, each other, the self and creation. The first parents, Adam and Eve, used their free will to disobey God, fracturing all of humanity’s relationship with God and each other.
As a result of sin, human beings mistrust God and one another, deceiving, hurting and using each other. On an individual level, Sodergren said, the body and soul are at odds with one another, becoming prone to disease and disorder, including mental illness.
He said individuals today more than ever are disconnected from God and each other.
Research shows children are being exposed to a number of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). ACEs are highly stressful, potentially traumatic experiences that impact the developing brain and pose an increased risk to physical and mental health later on.
Loneliness and isolation is also a major health crisis. Sodergren shared that the U.S. surgeon general released a document in 2023, issuing an advisory on the loneliness epidemic.
The number of single person households and people living alone has continued to increase.
Sodergren shared data that one-in-three adults reported experiencing serious loneliness. Young adults are particularly susceptible, with 61 percent reporting high levels of loneliness, he said.
“There are a number of known physical health risks to loneliness and isolation, in particular cardiovascular disease, risk of heart attack and stroke go up the more isolated a person is, also problems like dementia,” Sodergren shared.
“Researchers say that loneliness – chronic loneliness – is equal to about smoking 15 cigarettes a day, in terms of its impact on your health. There are also mental health risks, such as increased risk of depression, anxiety and suicide, all documented with loneliness.”
In addition to a disconnect from family, friends and community groups, loneliness can be attributed to a decline in marriage.
“The sad situation is fewer and fewer people are actually getting married today, and this is a trend that goes back many decades,” Sodergren said. “The marriage rate today is less than half what it was in 1965. … That’s true even among Catholics; … it mirrors the societal trend.”
Recent surveys also show a disconnect from creation. Sodergren said individuals today spend little time outdoors – a historical anomaly. People are spending more time indoors and in highly urbanized environments, whereas a number of health benefits are linked to time spent in nature.
Technology has filled the void of the various disconnects.
Many children today spend more time on screens than playing with other children or being outdoors. Sodergren referenced social science expert Jonathan Haidt, who unpacks research in his book, The Anxious Generation, on the drastic negative effects a screen-based childhood has on a child’s psychological development and social adjustment.
“Social media is a serious risk to our kids’ mental health,” Sodergren said.
Increased time on social media for adolescents correlates with increased risk of poor mental health outcomes, including on sleep, body image, self-esteem, cyber bullying and harassment, he shared. Children on social media are also more likely to be exposed to pornography.
Sodergren said diet is another cause of poor mental health. He shared survey data showing a correlation between ultra-processed foods and an increased risk of depression and anxiety.
He recognized that most adults do not know where their food comes from, and many cannot name a farmer who supplied the meat, dairy or plant foods that they eat on a regular basis.
“This is a huge problem, and it’s not an easy problem to fix,” Sodergren acknowledged. “We don’t even know how to get food from an animal, or, unless you garden or maybe you have a homestead or know a farmer, it’s very difficult. You have to go out of your way to try to get locally sourced food from natural sources.
“Then there are all sorts of complications that come with this, too, because you think about, what do we serve the kids at youth group or at school? What do we give out at our parish food pantries? I’m not saying that there are easy solutions to any of this, but these are questions that we need to start to think about.”
Sodergren said the Gospel, the gift of faith, is the most important offering Catholics can give to their suffering brothers and sisters in response.
In the field of public health, he said, there are three levels of prevention: primary, trying to prevent problems from emerging; secondary, early detection and intervention; and tertiary, supporting people after a problem has fully manifested.
On the primary level, he encouraged finding ways to strengthen marriages and families, get children off of technology and help people plug into church communities.
On the second level, he said, mental health first-aid programs can be helpful. He recommended training individuals at churches and schools to notice emerging mental health issues and make referrals to mental health professionals whose treatment aligns with the Catholic understanding of the human person.
On the third level, Sodergren encouraged finding ways to walk with individuals, ensuring they have support and helping them navigate the shame they might feel about their struggles.
The panel following Sodergren’s presentation further discussed how to respond to the crisis.
Jepsen, as a practicing mental health professional, recognized that Catholics are not immune and just as vulnerable to mental illness. She reiterated that ACEs from birth to adulthood, when needs are not met in childhood, are a largely contributing factor.
To respond, Jepsen said education is vital. She encouraged making mental health a topic at largely attended diocesan events.
Deacon Paulucci spoke on the power of presence. He told those gathered not to underestimate the power of being present to someone suffering a mental illness, including simple gestures such as a handwritten note.
Sodergren added the importance of having ministries in place that support marriages and families, strengthening the family to prevent problems from arising.
St. Vincent Family Services, Kaylor shared, serves 6,000 children and families every year. The organization, which was founded in 1875 and offers families a comprehensive, full-service range of youth behavioral health services, is present in 35 preschools and early learning environments in the area. Going forward, she said, St. Vincent is planning to offer classes for parents.
The panel also discussed differences between mental health ministry and treatment, and the different roles that mental health professionals and ministers have. Mental health treatment is primarily intended to reduce symptoms and problematic behaviors, while mental health ministry is faith-based and God-centered without direct implementation of psychological interventions. Ministers can provide spiritual and social support during times of struggle, healing and wellness.
Attendees at the summit were given table-top discussion questions and time to discuss the topic of mental health in-depth with the panelists. A working lunch was also offered to discuss a vision of success in responding to the issue.
For information on Mental Health First Aid training, an evidence-based, early-intervention course that teaches participants about mental health and substance use challenges, contact Bridget Downey at bdowney@MHAohio.org.
To start a mental health ministry, the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers offers a free parish-ready, step-by-step program accessible at www.CatholicMHM.org/start-a-ministry.
Additional resources from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops are available at www.USSCB.org/MentalHealth.