NEW
YORK, April 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The
toll of the adolescent behavioral health crisis in the United States is vast and growing; varies
in prevalence by location, race, sex, and sexual orientation; and
has ripple effects on lifetime medical costs, productivity, and
wages, according to a national analysis released by United Hospital
Fund.
The toll of the adolescent behavioral
health crisis in the United States
is vast and growing.
Using data from multiple nationally administered surveys,
as well as analytic modeling and expertise from Boston Consulting
Group, The Ripple Effects of the Adolescent Behavioral
Health Crisis provides a baseline analysis of the number
of adolescents in the U.S., New York
State, and New York City
who have a behavioral health condition and calculates the burden of
unmet need and resulting impacts on the individual, family, and
society.
Findings include:
In the US:
- 39% of adolescents who experienced a major depressive episode
(MDE) in 2021 received care, compared to 56% of adults who received
care for an MDE.
- Based on the 2022 prevalence of adolescent behavioral health
conditions and symptoms, the ripple effects of the adolescent
behavioral health crisis are estimated at up to $185 billion in lifetime medical costs and
$3 trillion in lifetime lost
productivity and wages.
NYS:
- An estimated 1 in 4 adolescents experienced a behavioral health
condition in 2022.
- Black and Hispanic high schoolers were nearly twice as likely
to attempt suicide compared to white high schoolers from 2019 to
2021.
NYC:
- From 2011 to 2021, there was a 42% increase in the rates of
adolescents who reported experiencing feelings of persistent
sadness and hopelessness.
- When compared with heterosexual students, students identifying
as lesbian, gay, or bisexual were over 4x more likely to attempt
suicide in 2021.
"Over the past decade, the number of adolescents suffering from
behavioral health conditions has increased, and the toll is
especially profound for communities of color," said Oxiris Barbot,
MD, United Hospital Fund president and CEO. "Solutions won't be
easy or quick, but this report sheds light on potential ways to
make a disjointed and under-resourced child behavioral health
system more responsive, effective, and equitable."
The report discusses approaches to tackling the crisis beyond
addressing the shortage of behavioral health clinicians, including
empowering non-clinical staff to connect with adolescents
experiencing mild conditions, fighting against stigma surrounding
behavioral health, and fostering better dialogue between families,
schools, and communities.
United Hospital Fund works to build an effective and
equitable health care system for every New Yorker.
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SOURCE United Hospital Fund