A real life sentiment from an individual after I answered the all too common question, "what do you do?". I proudly shared about our mental health private practice, Nurturing Wellness, LLC and shared about our specialization in maternal/women's mental health and children's mental health given the specializations of our two clinicians. They were AGHAST. And honestly, I was prepared for this moment, and I was prepared to share about the reality of children's mental health in our country.
So what is the present state of children's mental health? In 2022, the APA declared children's mental health a CRISIS
stating that between March 2020 and October 2020, there was a 24% increase in ED visits for children in mental health crisis (Leeb et al, 2020). Now that was the pandemic, it's gotten better, right? Wrong. In 2021, 14.9% children in the US received some type of care for their mental health, and 8% were treated with medication (NCHS, 2022). A publication from 2023 found that 16% of youth have navigated at least one depressive episode, and unfortunately, only (up to) 60% of youth get treatment for their depression. Additionally, we are seeing increases in presence of anxiety, ADHD, behavioral challenges, and substance abuse (CDC, 2023). Many feel that there were signs of failing mental health in children during the decade leading up to the pandemic, most noted through the 57% increase in suicidality in that time frame (Surgeon General Report 2023).
There are many theories about why the decline in mental health wellness is present in children in the United States, but I hope that sharing these few statistics helps clarify that it is the truth, the unfortunate reality. And we here at Nurturing Wellness are proud to help address the needs of children that are suffering, in our little treehouse office. Therapy for kids WORKS. And we're thrilled to support the kids of Nurturing Wellness! Contact us today if we can help your kiddo!
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