Friend,

Before we close out Suicide Prevention Month, I need to take a breath from the frantic pace of this sprint to election day to talk about a serious public health crisis – one I would even classify as a new pandemic.

This is not a random aside. It’s an issue that cuts directly to the heart of our work and the reasons I am running for president.

I’ll get right to the point: There is a sprawling, spiraling mental health crisis consuming this country, and our young people are at the very center of the storm.

The most notable trends emerged during the pandemic. In 2022, data from the CDC found that 44% of teens in the US reported feeling “persistently sad and hopeless.”

That number is indeed alarming. But we should note that even in 2019 that figure sat at 37%.

While many have tried to write this off as a pandemic-related fluke, the problem is much much deeper than the temporary isolation we experienced in that time.

In fact, new data from 2024 (as reported in Forbes) shows that, if anything, this trend has gotten worse.

The causes of this crisis are hardly unknown to us.

The social isolation brought on by the pervasive struggle to survive in modern society – the feeling fact that even the necessities of life are increasingly unaffordable and harder to hold on to.

The rising climate emergency, and the clear signs that none of your elected leaders take these threats to human survival seriously.

The grim realization that your vote only matters if you’re rich enough to buy their attention.

None of this is artificial and none of it is accidental. The conditions of late stage capitalism are designed to leave us “persistently sad and hopeless” such that we surrender to this fate.

But we do NOT surrender! Our campaign is about rising up against the elite political and commercial forces conspiring to keep us compliant and silent in their destruction of humanity.

We will show the strength of that movement at the ballot box on November 5th. Will you donate now to help us reach the millions of still undecided voters?

As a medical doctor, I know firsthand the devastating toll that mental health strain takes on our physical well being. When every single day feels like a battle to endure, your body pays the price.

I’m particularly alarmed by the rapid rise in mental health crisis among our youth. Not only will this shorten their lifespans, it threatens the very foundations of our democracy when young people disengage from our political process.

We absolutely need comprehensive mental health resources, and we will have that under my plan for universal free healthcare.

But while those services are urgently needed, they will not address the root cause.

The simple and hard truth is that the mental health crisis engulfing our nation is rooted in a society and economic system designed to enrich the very few at the expense of the many, and it will not change until we overthrow that system.

Until we address the underlying cause of structural inequality and rebuild our economy to serve ALL of humanity, mental health will continue to be a source of struggle for billions of us.

If this message has resonated with you in a particular way, there is something important I need you to know:

You are not alone.

I’m going to repeat that, because it’s SO important that you know this on a fundamental level:

YOU. ARE. NOT. ALONE.

There are millions of us – billions even – walking the same path and struggling under the same crushing weight.

In those moments where you may feel that the world is too much for you, I dearly hope you know that an entire community stands with you, ready to lift you up.

If you or someone you love is struggling with persistent feelings of hopelessness, please call 988 or visit 988lifeline.org for resources and community.

Above all else, please know that you are worthy, you are treasured, and you are so urgently needed in our collective fight.

With love, solidarity, and gratitude,

Jill