Health Aff (Millwood). 2025 Aug;44(8):925-932. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2025.00144.
ABSTRACT
The mental health of US children and adolescents has reached a crisis point. As of 2023, 18 percent of adolescents had experienced a major depressive episode in the past year-more than double the percentage in 2010-and one-fifth of teens had seriously considered suicide. This article describes the alarming growth in the teen prevalence of mood disorders, suicidal ideation and death, and fatal drug overdoses and in the volume of pediatric patients visiting emergency departments and hospitals for mental health diagnoses. The crisis varies by sex and disproportionately affects LGBTQ+, rural, and racially and economically marginalized youth. For example, among LGBTQ+ high school students, nearly two in three report persistent sadness or hopelessness, and one-fifth have attempted suicide. Increased access to social media and lethal agents (for example, firearms and fentanyl) and deficiencies in behavioral health care are likely contributors. Although further research is needed to fully understand the etiologies of the youth mental health crisis and the effectiveness of individual interventions, the lack of political will-not evidence-poses the greatest barrier to meaningful action.
PMID:40758927 | DOI:10.1377/hlthaff.2025.00144
Recent Comments