Prioritizing our Children’s Mental Health

There is no greater investment for our future prosperity than our children. Their success is our success. These children will grow up to become our doctors and teachers, scientists and artists, service members and small business owners, political leaders and community advocates. There is no thriving future for us if we collectively do not help lift our children and help them achieve.

Sadly, an advisory report issued by the U.S. Surgeon General earlier this month shows that we are failing on this investment when it comes to their mental health. From data collected over the past 15 years, the U.S. Surgeon General paints the picture of a mental health crisis raging in our youngest generations. This report’s findings are a severe warning not only to parents, but all business, community, and political leaders that we must do more.

Most troubling of all, is that it’s clear this is not a pandemic phenomenon; it’s a storm that’s been building strength for more than a decade. Our recent concerns about the impact of social distancing on children’s mental health obscured the reality that this was a pre-existing condition. That means advocating for a “return to normal” will not be enough for our children and our future.

Below are some of the report’s topline figures that show the declining rates of mental health in children, adolescents, and young adults.

  • Up to 1 in 5 children, ages 3 to 17, in the U.S. have a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral disorder.

  • From 2009 to 2019, the share of high school students who reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness increased by 40%, to more than 1 in 3 students.

  • Suicidal behaviors among high school students also increased during the decade preceding COVID, with 19% seriously considering attempting suicide and about 16% having made a suicide plan in the prior year.

  • Between 2007 and 2018, suicide rates among youth ages 10-24 in the U.S. increased by 57%, with at least 6,600 suicide deaths among this age group in 2020.

While there is no magical elixir to solve this problem in an instant, there are concrete steps that we can start immediately implementing. Specifically, increasing access to high-quality and affordable mental health services for children and families. Through our decades of service to families in communities across Tennessee, we know that children with access to quality health care, including mental and behavioral health, are more likely to grow into strong, resilient, and capable adults.

However, even if we improve access to health care resources, we must also work to overcome the stigma surrounding mental health issues. 

According to the American Psychiatric Association, more than half of people with mental illness don’t receive the help they need or delay seeking treatment over concerns of how they’ll be treated and viewed by others. This is a real problem, especially for children who are dependent on their parents for their health care decisions. We know that any stigma primarily comes from a lack of understanding. Given the magnitude of the threat facing our children, we must work to educate ourselves and our communities about the importance of receiving care—and the serious dangers we face by any delay in getting care.

There are obviously more ways than just improving access and overcoming stigma we can take to improve the mental health of our children. You can learn more about these other steps in the U.S. Surgeon General’s full advisory report.

As we look ahead to 2022 and are filled with the promise of a new year and new opportunities, we must remain focused on our children. After all, they are the ones who will live more in the future we shape by the decisions we make today. Too often, our children are overlooked in the policy-making process, but this reporting clearly shows that this is no longer an option. Instead, we must invest in our children today. Because when we do, our communities grow stronger, our children are more resilient, and our shared future gets brighter.

We wish you and yours a happy holiday season, and a happy and healthy, New Year!

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