Young minds are our future — we must safeguard them
Next month will mark two full years of living with COVID-19. While the omicron surge is now behind us, the lasting emotional toll of this pandemic will remain long after case rates have fallen.
The pandemic has ushered in a new era of parenting, with families fielding seemingly never-ending curveballs that complicate the already-big role of caretaking. But it's not just parents feeling overwhelmed, stressed and anxious — our kids are feeling it too.
Over the past year, we have heard from moms all over California who recounted challenges they and their children face. They want to return to normal, but don't know how to begin unwinding the cumulative effects of pandemic anxiety. We've also heard from children and teenagers who are overcome with feelings of helplessness, sadness and dread. Feelings of anxiety and isolation put young people at higher risk of developing unhealthy coping strategies or disorders that have lifelong consequences.
They're not alone. Across the country, a youth mental health crisis has been deepened by the pandemic but had been well underway before the world had ever heard of COVID-19.
From 2009-17, depression increased 69% among 16- and 17-year-olds nationwide. One in five children struggle with a diagnosable mental health or learning challenge. Yet 70% of U.S. counties don't have a single child or adolescent psychiatrist. The average time between onset of symptoms and receiving care is over eight years.
It doesn't have to be that way — nor should the responsibility of raising healthy children fall solely on the shoulders of parents and caregivers. We all have a responsibility to do what we can. After all, young minds are our future — a future we must safeguard.
California is doing what it can to focus on preventing behavioral health challenges. In 2021, the state announced the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, an investment of more than $4 billion to improve behavioral health and wellness for California children and youth by focusing on, among other things, routine screening.
The state is also elevating mental well-being through the Governor's Advisory Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well-Being. Unlike prior iterations of the council, California is actively promoting both physical and behavioral health among residents of all ages — especially children.
Most recently, California and the Child Mind Institute partnered to create the California Healthy Minds, Thriving Kids Project, a free, bilingual video series that provides adults with tools to discuss mental health and kids with fundamental mental wellness best practices. Drawn from up-todate research on youth behavioral health, these videos teach the importance of self-care and normalize conversations about mental well-being.
Every child should be provided with resources and tools to rebound from and cope with the extraordinary challenges COVID-19 poses, on top of the fallout from pervasive problems like economic inequality, racial injustice, climate catastrophes and gun violence in our schools. All parents and youth should also have access to interventions for common disorders like anxiety and depression.
The actions we are taking at the state level are not a panacea and more must be done to address this child mental health crisis — but they are necessary steps to lay a solid foundation for whole-child well-being and development.
As the mom of four young children and as a physician, we recognize the urgency with which we must address this crisis. We also recognize that parents are doing the best they can, but can't do it alone. It's up to the whole of society — every one of us — to prioritize youth mental wellness to build a healthier California for all.