No time to wait: ending the youth mental health crisis

Years before the coronavirus pandemic began, another national health crisis was roiling. Children and teens were showing up in greater numbers in emergency rooms in mental health crises. Depression and anxiety were rising. More kids were reporting suicidal thoughts and rates of suicide had been climbing. The U.S. Surgeon General issued an emergency advisory in 2021 about the growing youth mental health crisis, as did several other major medical associations, calling on the American people to act. The message was clear: the pandemic had only exacerbated kids' existing mental health problems. It was also clear that youth of different racial, ethnic, gender identity and socioeconomic groups were experiencing this crisis in ways that were, and still are, often inequitable.

Read more about how Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies aren’t waiting to take action to get kids the care they need.