On October 19, 2021, leading child health experts from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children’s Hospital Association declared that the United States was experiencing a “national emergency in child and adolescent mental health.”1 This declaration was a wake-up call signaling that the mental health challenges confronting youth were not isolated issues, but a widespread and escalating problem with far-reaching implications for the health and social development of U.S. youth.
Less than two months later, on December 8, 2021, U. S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory highlighting the urgent need to address worsening outcomes in youth mental health.2 Surgeon general advisories are powerful calls to action that draw national attention to pressing public health threats, provide evidence-based guidance on how to move forward, and offer actionable recommendations for families, educators, healthcare providers, and policymakers.
Yet, despite the collective recognition and action from major medical and public health authorities, our country continues to grapple with a crisis that endangers the health, well-being, and future of our nation’s youth.
Rates of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and other mental health disorders among children and adolescents have soared over the past decade, driven by the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, social isolation, the impact of social media, and enduring structural inequities such as limited access to healthcare, structural racism, and others. Further, these challenges is proportionately impact children of color and youth who identify as lesbian,gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ+), who face additional stressors and systemic barriers to healthcare access relative to their white and heterosexual and cisgender peers…
Read the full brief: Youth Mental Health In Crisis: Exploring Gaps in Access, Equity, and Policy