Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Urgent innovation is needed to address the growing mental health crisis among children and families

Monika Roots, MD
Conditions
June 1, 2023
Share
Tweet
Share

The growing mental health crisis affecting our children and families has reached a breaking point. As a child and adolescent psychiatrist, I know well the current mental health crisis is dire and demands immediate attention. And I worry we are not moving fast enough to help those in need.

The number of kids and teens aged 3 to 17 diagnosed with depression or anxiety spiked by 30% from 2016 to 2020, and behavioral problems grew by 21%, according to a study published by the Journal of American Medicine. This was the concerning trend even before the COVID pandemic. In all, a quarter of kids and teens today have a mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder. And 80% go untreated.

It is of little surprise that our modern society is struggling to address mental health issues. We are still using a mental health care model developed decades ago. Imagine if we all still drove around in Henry Ford’s first Model Ts. This is the sad equivalent of what we are doing with our mental health care today.

It is past time for us to think differently about the problems plaguing mental health care for children and families.

Fixing the problem requires the use of technology. Telemedicine services – combining ultramodern technology platforms, health privacy-compliant software, and widening availability of high-speed internet – should be used widely. Youth in rural areas are twice as likely to experience depression and suicidal thoughts compared to those in urban areas, and yet two-thirds of rural and suburban counties do not have psychiatrists. Technology – specifically telemedicine – will help fill gaps by maximizing the efficiency of our system’s limited capacity. Not only does it help with access, but it affords the opportunity for more targeted and personalized interventions. Telehealth is not just equivalent to in-person care – it can be better.

Fixing the problem requires early intervention. We need to invest in prevention services to manage issues before they escalate to emergency care. Developing coaching programs for less severe mental and behavioral health issues can help give kids and teens tools, action plans, and skills to become resilient to challenges – rather than waiting for a full-on crisis that more deeply strains families and system resources. The best way to help families access these resources is through their primary care providers, who are on the front lines.

Fixing the problem requires care coordination and an appreciation for the ecosystem kids and teens rely on. We must develop more state and regional networks of pediatric mental health teams composed of child and adolescent psychiatrists, licensed mental health professionals, and care coordinators who connect dots. This allows overwhelmed pediatricians, teachers and counselors, and others involved in kids’ daily lives to work collaboratively with a central coordinator for a family. Therapy and psychiatry are helpful, but mental health interventions are less effective if a family is suffering from food insecurity or another unnoticed social determinant. Care coordination will help.

Fixing the problem requires acknowledgment that mental health care, like health care broadly, is plagued with disparities. Only 13% of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds receive mental health services, compared to 31% of white children and youth. Additionally, 85% of children and youth in the child welfare system who need mental health services do not receive them. Acknowledgment of disparities, and thoughtful policies to address them, will help.

Fixing the problem requires putting mental health on equal footing as physical health. Today, a behavioral health visit for a child is ten times more likely to be out-of-network than a primary care office visit. Also, services for mental health may receive different government reimbursement depending on the care setting. Those needing the most help often get the least. Mental health should have the same rules as other conditions, and providers should be able to seek authorization for care considered medically necessary – regardless of the setting. Rethinking and updating coverage policies will help.

Fixing the problem requires us to reconsider our overly aggressive drug-prescribing habits. Over a 10-year period, young ADHD patients prescribed at least one medication nearly doubled, and those given multiple medications jumped by nearly a quarter. And the percentage of young patients on drug therapies for ADHD while also receiving medicines for other mental health conditions spiked from 26% to 41%. Much of this may be related to the lack of non-medication options, so a skills-oriented approach or more measured combination of skills and medications is crucial to address the mental health crisis.

May was Mental Health Awareness Month. It reminds us to take care of ourselves and each other – and to consider that our nation’s mental health crisis demands an innovative approach grounded in technology, early intervention, care coordination, resilience, and equality. Other foundational improvements, such as addressing the systemic short supply of mental health care providers, are important but will take upwards of a generation. With time of the essence for so many children and families in crisis, bending the existing system to work better for us immediately should be our priority.

Monika Roots is a psychiatrist and health care executive.

Prev

The importance of listening in health care: a mother's journey advocating for children with chronic Lyme disease

June 1, 2023 Kevin 0
…
Next

Unconventional health care, flawed studies, and biases: Navigating the complexities for optimal well-being

June 1, 2023 Kevin 0
…

ADVERTISEMENT

Tagged as: Psychiatry

Post navigation

< Previous Post
The importance of listening in health care: a mother's journey advocating for children with chronic Lyme disease
Next Post >
Unconventional health care, flawed studies, and biases: Navigating the complexities for optimal well-being

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

  • Sharing mental health issues on social media

    Tarena Lofton
  • How to address the mental health fallout of climate change

    Rishab Chawla
  • Physician burnout: the impact of social media on mental health and the urgent need for change

    Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Amy Bissada, DO & Jen Barna, MD
  • Surgeon General’s warning: the dark side of social media on children’s mental health

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Improve mental health by improving how we finance health care

    Steven Siegel, MD, PhD
  • We need a mental health infrastructure bill

    Jennifer Reid, MD

More in Conditions

  • A speech pathologist’s key to better, safer patient care

    Adena Dacy, CCC-SLP
  • How collaboration saved my life from a rare disease doctors couldn’t diagnose

    Tami Burdick
  • Why your emotions are your greatest compass in therapy and life

    Maire Daugharty, MD
  • Patients are not waiting: What MCDA twin parents teach us about shared decision-making

    Stephanie Ernst
  • Health workers deserve care too: How to protect their mental health

    Corey Feist, JD, MBA & Kim Downey, PT
  • Why the words doctors use matter more than they think

    Erin Paterson
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • Why no medical malpractice firm responded to my scientific protocol

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • A world without antidepressants: What could possibly go wrong?

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Meds
    • Why funding cuts to academic medical centers impact all of us [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Bridging the digital divide: Addressing health inequities through home-based AI solutions

      Dr. Sreeram Mullankandy | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting

      American College of Physicians | Physician
    • The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • What happened to real care in health care?

      Christopher H. Foster, PhD, MPA | Policy
    • How the CDC’s opioid rules created a crisis for chronic pain patients

      Charles LeBaron, MD | Conditions
    • Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?

      Jacob Murphy | Education
    • How to build a culture where physicians feel valued [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Recent Posts

    • Why funding cuts to academic medical centers impact all of us [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • When rock bottom is a turning point: Why the turmoil at HHS may be a blessing in disguise

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
    • How grief transformed a psychiatrist’s approach to patient care

      Devina Maya Wadhwa, MD | Physician
    • A speech pathologist’s key to better, safer patient care

      Adena Dacy, CCC-SLP | Conditions
    • Navigating physician non-competes: a strategy for staying put [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • Why no medical malpractice firm responded to my scientific protocol

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • A world without antidepressants: What could possibly go wrong?

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Meds
    • Why funding cuts to academic medical centers impact all of us [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Bridging the digital divide: Addressing health inequities through home-based AI solutions

      Dr. Sreeram Mullankandy | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting

      American College of Physicians | Physician
    • The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • What happened to real care in health care?

      Christopher H. Foster, PhD, MPA | Policy
    • How the CDC’s opioid rules created a crisis for chronic pain patients

      Charles LeBaron, MD | Conditions
    • Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?

      Jacob Murphy | Education
    • How to build a culture where physicians feel valued [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Recent Posts

    • Why funding cuts to academic medical centers impact all of us [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • When rock bottom is a turning point: Why the turmoil at HHS may be a blessing in disguise

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
    • How grief transformed a psychiatrist’s approach to patient care

      Devina Maya Wadhwa, MD | Physician
    • A speech pathologist’s key to better, safer patient care

      Adena Dacy, CCC-SLP | Conditions
    • Navigating physician non-competes: a strategy for staying put [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...