children's mental health

A youth mental health crisis and a shortage of therapists and other care providers who take insurance are pushing many U.S. families into financial ruin. But it's rarely acknowledged as medical debt.

Health & Safety

Paying for mental health care leaves families in debt and isolated

2:31pm October 19, 2022

by Yuki Noguchi

A youth mental health crisis and a shortage of therapists and other care providers who take insurance are pushing many U.S. families into financial ruin. But it's rarely acknowledged as medical debt.

Queue Listen Now

As kids return to school this fall, educators are prepared to deal with the continued mental health fallout of the disruptions of the pandemic.

As school starts, teachers add a mental-health check-in to their lesson plans

4:39pm September 02, 2022

by Rhitu Chatterjee

After the disruption and trauma of the pandemic, educators say kids still need added support this year. In some schools, they're making emotional wellness part of the curriculum.

Linnea Sorensen attends Schaumburg High School in Schaumburg, Ill. Now that Illinois allows students to take up to five days off per school year for their mental health, she can stay home when she feels "not fully mentally there."

More states are allowing students to take mental health days off

5:00am June 10, 2022

by Giles Bruce

While a growing number of states are trying to address the increasing mental health crisis among youths, many schools are woefully short of therapists and the budget to hire them.

The label for a bottle of melatonin pills. Melatonin is a hormone that helps control the body's sleep cycle.

Health & Safety

Thousands of kids are getting sick from downing melatonin pills

1:38pm June 03, 2022

by The Associated Press

Last year, U.S. poison control centers got 52,000 calls about children consuming worrisome amounts of the dietary supplement, a popular sleep aid. Two children have died in the past decade.

COMIC: Two psychologists tell how Ukrainian kids are reacting to war.

Health & Safety

COMIC: How children are coping in Ukraine — and how parents can help

5:32pm March 21, 2022

by Malaka Gharib

Two psychologists in Ukraine tell what they are hearing from traumatized children — and how to give support to these youngsters. Although in the chaos of war, that can be a daunting task.

With many kids struggling emotionally, group of mental health organizations are pushing for increased investment in mental health services in schools.

State by state, here's how well schools are doing at supporting kids' mental health

7:16pm February 16, 2022

by Rhitu Chatterjee

Two years of disrupted schooling and limited social contact have been tough on kids. A new report calls out states that do a good job supporting kids' mental health at school — and those that don't.

As students have returned to school this year, mental health issues related to the pandemic are surging.

Kids are back in school — and struggling with mental health issues

9:06pm January 07, 2022

by Rhitu Chatterjee

This school year was supposed to bring a return to normalcy. But the stress of transitioning back to in-person learning and the ever-changing pandemic has caused a surge in mental health needs.

Queue Listen Now

A girl looks out of her bedroom window as the sun is setting.

Health & Safety

Pediatricians say the mental health crisis among kids has become a national emergency

6:10pm October 20, 2021

by Deepa Shivaram

Three leading pediatric health organizations are sounding the alarm about "soaring rates" of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts among children and adolescents.

For a forthcoming study, researchers with the U.K.'s University of Bath and other schools spoke to 10,000 people in 10 countries, all of whom were between the ages of 16 and 25, to gauge how they feel about climate change.

Young People Are Anxious About Climate Change And Say Governments Are Failing Them

4:03pm September 14, 2021

by Sharon Pruitt-Young

A new study shows more than half of young people say climate change makes them feel afraid, sad, anxious, angry, powerless and helpless. And government inaction in particular makes them worried.

Students wear mask as they arrive at school for in-person learning at Holmes Middle School in Wheeling, Ill., on Oct. 21, 2020. Students in Illinois schools will be able to take up to five excused mental or behavioral health days beginning in January 2022

Kids In Illinois Will Soon Be Able To Take 5 Mental Health Days From School

1:36pm September 02, 2021

by Jonathan Franklin

Starting in January, students will be allowed to use their five mental health days without needing to provide a doctor's note for their absence.