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- A new survey found a 26 percent jump in the number of children aged 3 to 17 struggling with depression and anxiety between 2016 and 2020.
- The index, which tracks well-being among all 50 states, also noted an uptick in attempted suicide, especially among children of color and the LGBTQ+ community.
- Overall, 9 percent of high school age students surveyed attempted suicide, including 12 percent of Black students, 13 percent of students of two or more races, 26 percent of American Indian or Native Alaskan high schoolers and 23 percent of LGBTQ+ students.
Around 1.5 million U.S. children experienced depression or anxiety during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report.
The 2022 KIDS COUNT Data Book, an annual report released Monday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, found a 26 percent jump in the number of children aged 3 to 17 struggling with the two conditions between 2016 and 2020.
The index, which tracks well-being among all 50 states, also noted an uptick in attempted suicide, especially among children of color and the LGBTQ+ community.
Overall, 9 percent of high school age students surveyed attempted suicide, compared to 12 percent of Black students, 13 percent of students of two or more races, more than 25 percent of American Indian or Native Alaskan high schoolers and 23 percent of LGBTQ+ students.
“Mental health is just as important as physical health in a child’s ability to thrive,” Lisa Hamilton, president and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said in a media release.
“As our nation continues to navigate the fallout from COVID-19, policymakers must ensure all kids have access to the care they need to cope and live full lives.”
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Survey data from March revealed that more than a quarter of U.S. children saw a mental health specialist over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 60 percent of visits taking place in the past year.
The findings are based on a nationally representative report from the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health alongside the Children’s Hospital Association, derived from survey responses of 1,201 parents of children ages 11-18 surveyed in October.
A coalition of pediatric care groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Children’s Hospital Association, declared children’s mental health a public health crisis last fall.
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