News Mashup for October 2022
Annual Review of Mental Health in America
This month, Mental Health America (MHA) released State of Mental Health in America 2023, the organization’s annual state-by-state ranking of mental health needs and systems of care. The MHA series aims to: “provide a snapshot of mental health status among youth and adults for policy and program planning, analysis, and evaluation; track changes in prevalence of mental health issues and access to mental health care; understand how changes in national data reflect the impact of legislation and policies; and increase dialogue and improve outcomes for individuals and families with mental health needs.”
Rankings, which range from 1 (lowest prevalence of mental illness and highest access to care) to 51 (highest prevalence and lowest access), derive from occurrences of Major Depressive Episode (MDE), Substance Use Disorders, and Emotional Disturbance for an Individualized Education Program using 2019-2021 data from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Education.
At the national level, key findings for youth age 12-17 years are:
16% of youth (~ 2.7 M) report having a MDE in the past year. The highest incidence is among youth who identify as multi-racial (123,000 youth).
Access to care is a persistent problem in the U.S., with 60% of youth with MDE lacking any specialty mental health treatment whatsoever. Asian youth with MDE were the least likely to receive specialty mental health care, followed by multi-racial and Black youth.
1 in 10 youth with private insurance do not have coverage for emotional difficulties (~1.2 M youth)
The study ranked California 28th in the Nation for youth mental health, indicating a greater prevalence of illness and less access to care than that of some other large states with high-density urban centers such as Pennsylvania (4th), Massachusetts (5th), Illinois (13th), and New York (20th ). The study found that overall, 69.5% of California’s young people experiencing MDE (447,000 youth) did not receive specialty mental health services in 2019-2020 (a total of 287,000 untreated youth).
Also in October, CNN and the Kaiser Family Foundation jointly released findings of a national polling conducted in July and August of 2022. Almost half of the parents polled (47%) reported that their children’s mental health had deteriorated during COVID-19 pandemic; one in five (17%) reported severe deterioration.
Click on the links below to learn more.
Reinert, M, Fritze, D. & Nguyen, T. October 2022. The state of mental health in America 2023. Mental Health America. Retrieved October 26, 2022 from https://mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america .
CNN and Kaiser Family Foundation. October 6, 2022. New KFF/CNN survey on mental health finds young adults in crisis; more than a third say their mental health keeps them from doing normal activities. Retrieved October 15, 2022 from https://www.kff.org/other/press-release/new-kff-cnn-survey-on-mental-health-finds-young-adults-in-crisis-more-than-a-third-say-their-mental-health-keeps-them-from-doing-normal-activities/ .
Deidre McPhillips. October 13, 2022. Poor mental health in US teens exacerbated by negative experiences during Covid-19 pandemic, survey finds. CNN. Retrieved October 17, 2022 from https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/13/health/teen-mental-health-adverse-events-cdc .
Josh McGhee. October 14, 2022. Wisconsin best, Kansas worst in state rankings of mental health and services. MindSite News. Retrieved October 26, 2022 from https://mindsitenews.org/2022/10/14/wisconsin-best-kansas-worst-in-state-rankings-of-mental-health-and-services%EF%BF%BC/ .
Short On Mental Health Providers
Both the October MHA report and the Kaiser-CNN national survey (above) shine a harsh light on the nationwide shortage of mental health providers. The average ratio of individuals to mental health provider is 350:1, nationwide. Across the states, the ratio ranges from 140:1 (MA) to 850:1 (AL). In California, there are 240 individuals for every one mental health provider. The MHA report concludes that “With a growing demand for mental health services, a shortage of mental health providers, and an increase in out-of-network participation, the system is built such that only people with higher incomes can afford to receive care.”
Even for the insured, finding access to youth mental health care is daunting. Research published this month by the University of Massachusetts show that in a pool of 95,000 youth hospitalized for a psychiatric crisis, less than 43% of the insured had follow-up care within seven days of release and 67% within 30 days. In an interview with U.S. News and World Report, Alysha Thompson, and inpatient psychologist at Seattle Children’s Hospital, said that there is just not enough mental health case workers and providers to meet the need, “Even when places prioritize people who are coming from the emergency department or from the inpatient unit, there are still waits that are weeks to months long before they can access care."
In an October interview with CNN, the Director of Workforce Studies for the American Psychological Association, Karen Stamm, said that 65% of child psychologist polled in September of 2021 had no capacity for new patients.
New federal grant programs offer hope. In October, the U.S. Department of Education opened the application process for two grant programs—the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program, and the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program. The programs will collectively award $1 billion over five years to fund initiatives aimed at increasing the number school-based mental health providers and clinics. The new funding was authorized as part of the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
Click on the links to learn more.
Brenda Goodman. October 6, 2022. Long waiting lists, long drives and costly care hinder many kids’ access to mental health care. CNN Health. Retrieved October 15, 2022 from https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/06/health/youth-parents-mental-health-kff-poll-wellness .
Julie Hugunin, Maryann Davis, Celine Larkin, Jonggyu Baek, Brian Skehan, and Kate L Lapane. October 12, 2022. Established outpatient care and follow-up after acute psychiatric service use among youths and young adults. Psychiatry Online. Retrieved October 17, 2022 from https://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ps.202200047 .
Cara Murez. October 17, 2022. Too few young people get mental health follow-up after ER visit. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved October 24, 2022 from https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-10-17/too-few-young-people-get-mental-health-follow-up-after-er-visit .
Evie Blad. October 3, 2022. Schools struggle to hire mental health workers: New federal grants might help. EdWeek. Retrieved October 14, 2022 from https://www.edweek.org/leadership/schools-struggle-to-hire-mental-health-workers-new-federal-grants-might-help/2022/10 .
Nadia Tamez-Robledo. October 19, 2022. Kids’ mental health is in crisis: Schools can get them help through a $1 billion fund. EdSurge. Retrieved October 26, 2022 from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2022-10-19-kids-mental-health-is-in-crisis-schools-can-get-them-help-through-a-1-billion-fund .
SAMHSA. October 18, 2022. Biden-Harris administration announces millions of dollars in new funds for states to tackle mental health crisis. Retrieved October 27, 2022 from https://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/press-announcements/20221018/biden-harris-administration-announces-funding-states-tackle-mental-health-crisis .
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. October 3, 2022. HHS invests nearly $27 million to expand support for pediatric mental health care. Newswires. Retrieved October 14, 2022 from https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/593963102/hhs-invests-nearly-27-million-to-expand-support-for-pediatric-mental-health-care.
Spotlight on New Research
October saw the publication of research on diverse topics relevant to child and adolescent mental health. The National Academies Press published a review of successful family-focused interventions to prevent SUD. The Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychology and Psychiatry published a study investigating environmental versus genetic mental health predictors. Lancet published research evaluating gender disparities in youth mental health conditions resulting from sexual violence. JAMA Network published research-based recommendations for instituting preventative screening of anxiety, depression, and suicide risk.
Click on the links below to learn more.
Francesca Bentivegna and Praveetha Patalay. October 4, 2022. The impact of sexual violence in mid-adolescence on mental health: a UK population-based longitudinal study. The Lancet. Retrieved October 14, 2022 from https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(22)00271-1/fulltext .
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. October 2022. Family-focused interventions to prevent substance use disorders in adolescence: Proceedings of a workshop. The National Academies Press. Retrieved October 27, 2022 from https://doi.org/10.17226/26662 .
Massachusetts General Hospital. October 5, 2022. Research spotlight: Environmental influences account for more differences in child emotional and behavioral symptoms than genetic factors. Retrieved October 14, 2022 from https://www.massgeneral.org/news/research-spotlight/environmental-influences-account-for-more-differences-child-emotional-behavioral-symptoms-than-genetics .
Choi, K. W., Wilson, M., Ge, T., Kandola, A., Patel, C. J., Lee, S. H., and Smoller, J. W. August 2022. Integrative analysis of genomic and exposomic influences on youth mental health. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 63(10), 1196–1205. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13664 .
US Preventive Services Task Force. October 11, 2022. Screening for anxiety in children and adolescents: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. JAMA Network. Retrieved October 17, 2022 from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2797219 .
US Preventive Services Task Force. October 11, 2022. Screening for depression and suicide risk in children and adolescents: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. JAMA Network. Retrieved October 17, 2022 from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2797145 .
Living And Learning Focus Series
In October, The New York Times published a series of articles on America’s youth mental health crisis. The series give voice to young people and their parents, as well as to the front-line advocates, providers, and educators who are trying to help. Peruse the series using the links below.
The solution to America’s mental health crisis already exists
Community schools offer more than just teaching
Meeting the mental health challenge in school and at home
To improve students’ mental health, schools take a team approach
Can you punish a child’s mental health problems away?
Teenagers are telling us that something is wrong with America
More Stories in October: Opinion: It’s time to fulfill our promise to teachers, students and parents California Health Report — 10.04.2022; We can do more to provide high-quality education to students in juvenile detention EdSource — 10.05.2022; We’re one step closer to making mental health and addiction care more affordable The Kennedy Forum — 10.05.2022; Alarm on children's mental health has been ringing for decades: Too few have listened USA Today — 10.06.2022; These foster kids need mental health care: New Mexico is putting them in homeless shelters ProPublica — 10.07.2022; Generation AnXiety: Findings on ADHD & the mental health crisis ADDitude — 10.07.2022; Ending ‘child poverty surveillance’: NYU professor on schools & child welfare The 74 — 10.07.2022; Young people need experiences that boost their mental health Nature 10.10.2022; Why Are Kids So Sad? Intelligencer 10.11.2022; Universal anxiety, depression screening recommended for many U.S. kids Everday Health — 10.12.2022; Can ‘kinship care’ help the child welfare system? The White House wants to try The New York Times 10.13.2022; Youth incarceration harms America's children: It's time to end it Time — 10.13.2022; Health organizations urge the Biden administration to declare a federal national emergency in children’s mental health American Academy of Pediatrics — 10.13.2022; Adverse Childhood Experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and associations with poor mental health and suicidal behaviors among high school students Centers for Disease Control and Prevention MMWR — 10.14.2022; Have almost fifty years of disability civil rights laws achieved equitable care? Health Affairs 10.15.2022; Paying for mental health care leaves families in debt and isolated NPR-KQED — 10.19.2022; An autistic teen needed mental health help: He spent weeks in an ER instead The Washington Post — 10.20.2022; States are housing high-needs foster kids in offices and hotels Disability Scoop — 10.21.2022; With more teens contemplating suicide, Latino advocates and educators are speaking out The Modesto Bee — 10.25.2022; Treating symptoms of trauma in children and teenagers Child Mind Institute — 10.26.2022; Sex differences in mental health problems and psychiatric hospitalization in autistic young adults JAMA Network — 10.26.2022; States opting out of a federal program that tracks teen behavior as youth mental health worsens Kaiser Health Network — 10.26.2022; Medicaid denials for Colorado children with severe disabilities set off “sheer panic” among parents Colorado Sun — 10.28.2022; ‘Dying inside’: Chaos and cruelty in Louisiana juvenile detention The New York Times — 10.30.2022;
