AMA: State of children’s mental health in US is a national emergency

Key takeaways:

• One in five children in the United States experience a mental disorder each year.
• The AMA adopted a policy advocating for efforts to increase the mental health care workforce.

During its House of Delegates meeting, the AMA adopted a policy recognizing that children’s mental health and barriers to care in the United States represent a national emergency.

Several other medical organizations, including the AAP, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Children’s Hospital Association, have previously declared the ongoing mental health crisis in youth as a national emergency.

“A large proportion of our children are not only facing mental health disorders but aren’t receiving treatment,” AMA Immediate Past President Jack Resneck Jr., MD, said in a press release. “We are in a crisis situation with children’s mental health, and we must come together as a nation to do everything possible to prioritize children’s mental, emotional and behavioral health and ensure they have access to the care they need.”

A 2022 JAMA Pediatrics study found that from 2016 to 2020, children and adolescents saw significant increases in anxiety (7.1% to 9.2%) and depression (3.1% to 4.0%), as well as a decrease in preventive medical visits (83.3% to 78.1%).

The AMA added that approximately one in five children in the U.S. experience a mental health disorder each year, and cited CDC data that found suicide was the second-leading cause of death among children aged 10 to 14 years as of 2021.

The policy also calls upon the AMA to join other organizations and parties in advocating for a greater mental health workforce to address shortcomings and access in youth behavioral health care.

Integrated behavioral care has increased in the primary care setting over the last decade, with the number of primary care visits addressing mental health concerns rising by nearly 50% from 2006 to 2018.

“Physicians play a vital role in identifying and treating children’s mental health disorders, and it is imperative that more physicians and mental health professionals are trained and available to fill the gaps that exist for children accessing mental health treatment,” Resneck said.

References:

• AMA adopts new public health policies to improve health of nation. https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-adopts-new-public-health-policies-improve-health-nation-6. Published June 14, 2023. Accessed June 14, 2023.
• Lebrun-Harris L, et al. JAMA Pediatr. 2022;doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.0056.