Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Sad Or Hopeless': CDC Warns Of Looming Teen Mental Health Crisis
The Washington Post: CDC Warns Of A Steep Decline In Teen Mental Health
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning of an accelerating mental health crisis among adolescents, with more than 4 in 10 teens reporting that they feel “persistently sad or hopeless,” and 1 in 5 saying they have contemplated suicide, according to the results of a survey published Thursday. “These data echo a cry for help,” said Debra Houry, a deputy director at the CDC. “The COVID-19 pandemic has created traumatic stressors that have the potential to further erode students’ mental well-being.” (Balingit, 3/31)
AP: Pandemic Took A Toll On Teen Mental Health, US Study Says
CDC officials said that the pandemic did not affect teens equally. LGBT youth reported poorer mental health and more suicide attempts than others. About 75% said they suffered emotional abuse in the home and 20% reported physical abuse. By comparison, half of heterosexual students reported emotional abuse and 10% reported physical abuse, the CDC said. (Stobbe, 3/31)
USA Today: 'A Cry For Help': More Than A Third Of High Schoolers Report Poor Mental Health During COVID, CDC Study Finds
Additionally, more than a third of students said they experienced racism. The highest levels were reported among Asian students, with two-thirds reporting they experienced racism before or during the pandemic. Fifty-five percent of Black students or students of multiple races reported experiencing racism. Racism in adolescence "can have a negative impact on their self identify and their feelings about themselves," said Dr. Ariana Hoet, clinical director of "On Our Sleeves," a program backed by experts with Nationwide Children's Hospital. "We know that children can go through this rejection of their home culture and race when experiencing a lot of racism at school, wishing that they weren’t a part of that family or home because of what they’re hearing." (Rodriguez, 3/31)
The New York Times: Many Teens Report Emotional And Physical Abuse By Parents During Lockdown
It also found high rates of reported abuse, with 55.1 percent of teenage respondents saying they suffered emotional abuse from a parent or another adult in their house in the preceding year, and 11.3 percent saying they suffered physical abuse. In the survey, emotional abuse was defined as swearing, insulting or belittling; physical abuse was defined as hitting, beating, kicking or physically hurting. (Barry, 3/31)
In related news about mental health —
Houston Chronicle: Texas Schools Don't Have Enough Mental Health Providers, And Leaders Are Failing To Fix It
Half of all mental illness begins by age 14, the American Psychiatric Association found. And the U.S. Department of Education highlights school counselors, social workers, nurses and psychologists as critical in identifying mental health concerns in children. But at no point since 2013 did any Texas school district have the professionally recommended student-to-provider ratios in all four positions, a Houston Chronicle investigation found. That means for nearly a decade, more than 5 million kids in Texas schools each year have gone without appropriate access to mental health professionals. (Lamm and Stuckey, 3/31)
Stat: As Research Grows On Primary Care And Serious Mental Illness, A Glaring Gap Remains
Laura Brown knows that she has high cholesterol, and that as someone who lives with bipolar 1 disorder, she faces even higher risk of cardiovascular problems. It’s constantly on her mind. But going to a doctor’s office for routine care is almost entirely out of the question. She’s a 35-year-old single mother whose two children have their own mental health complications, and experiences intense anxiety about leaving her home. “I know I need to, but it’s hard to find a doctor that isn’t going to look at me like I’m crazy,” Brown said. (Gaffney, 4/1)
