A research letter published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics shows that adolescent suicide rates increased in the first year of the pandemic, according to research in 14 states. Researchers from Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Boston Children’s hospital sifted through death certificates of 85,000 people that died by suicide in 14 states and
Injuries are the most common cause of death among children and adolescents, and for more than 60 years, motor vehicle crashes were the top cause of the injury-related deaths for children. However, beginning in 2017, gun-related deaths took the top spot on the list. “That spike is attributable to the simultaneous crackdown on motor vehicle
Congress must pass legislation that addresses barriers to mental health care for youth and their families, including maternal mental health care, services and prevention for children and adolescents, Medicaid reform, and bolstering the workforce. Maternal mental health: postpartum depression affects up to 15% of women, and the negative short-and long-term effects on child development are
A new Child Trends brief describes the harm inflicted upon gender-diverse children and youth when policies deny them access to gender-affirming care and supportive environments. Gender-affirming care provides developmentally appropriate supports to gender-diverse children and youth. When transgender children and youth feel that their identities are supported, they experience greater life satisfaction, fewer depressive symptoms,
The overdose death rate among U.S. adolescents nearly doubled from 2019 to 2020 — a climb that continued into 2021, a new study in JAMA shows. Researchers determined that it’s not a surge of 14- to 18-year-olds using drugs - survey data actually indicate that fewer teens experimented with drugs during the pandemic. Rather, a
Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 the Health Subcommittee of the Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on several important bills, including H.R. 7236, the Strengthening Kids' Mental Health Now Act. If enacted, H.R. 7236 would expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program. This bipartisan legislation would bolster the infrastructure for
On Wednesday, March 30th, 2022 the Senate Finance Committee continued their series on mental health with a hearing entitled ‘Behavioral Health Care When Americans Need It: Ensuring Parity and Care Integration.’ Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) emphasized the need to hold insurance companies accountable for not adhering to parity laws. Wyden referenced a recent GAO report,
In their recent publication, Resilient But Not Recovered: After Two Years of the COVID-19 Crisis, Women Are Still Struggling, National Women’s Law Center combines analysis of federal data sources with findings from a research to better understand how women are faring at work and in their lives after weathering two years of this pandemic. As reported
In a new report released by the CDC, school closures and distance learning have had a negative impact on student mental health. In a study titled “Mental Health, Suicidality and Connectedness Among High School Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” survey results showed that more than a third (37%) of students surveyed said they experienced poor
On Wednesday March 23rd, 2022, Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) led the Senate HELP Committee’s hearing: “Strengthening Federal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Programs: Opportunities, Challenges, and Emerging Issues.” The Committee members and witnesses discussed issues necessitating bipartisan legislation addressing the increasing severity of the mental health and substance use disorders prevailing across the country.