Pediatric organizations declare national emergency in mental health
Pediatric organizations declare a national emergency in mental health Publish date: October 20, 2021 By Marcia Frellick The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), and the Children’s Hospital Association have declared a national emergency in children’s mental health. COVID-19 has taken a serious toll, the organizations say, on top of already mounting challenges. Policy changes are urgently needed, they say. “Today’s declaration is an urgent call to policymakers at all levels of government – we must treat this mental health crisis like the emergency it is,” AAP President Lee Savio Beers, MD, said in a statement. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that between March and October 2020, emergency department visits for mental health emergencies rose by 24% for children ages 5-11 years and 31% for children ages 12-17 years. ED visits for suspected suicide attempts increased nearly 51% among girls ages 12-17