National Emergency Declared for Adolescent Mental Health

National Emergency Declared for Adolescent Mental Health
Resources

December 7, 2021

Resource: Blog Industry: Education, K12
Tags: K12 Education, Staff Training, Student Training

National Emergency Declared for Adolescent Mental Health

A national emergency concerning the state of children and adolescent mental health was declared by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Academy of Children and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), and Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) in late October.

These groups are warning that the rates of mental illness and suicide in children have steadily risen since 2010. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for adolescents, and there has been a dramatic increase in mental health-related emergency room visits for kids as well. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these visits increased by 24% for children aged 5-11 and 31% for children aged 12-17 just between March and October of 2020. Emergency room visits for suspected suicide attempts in girls aged 12-17 have risen 51% since 2019. 

Experts believe the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and racial unrest have contributed to the steady increase in mental health issues in children, and are calling on policymakers to advocate for children in the following ways:

  • Increase federal funding dedicated to ensuring all families and children can access evidence-based mental health services.
  • Improve access to telemedicine.
  • Support effective models of school-based mental health care.
  • Accelerate the integration of mental health care in primary care pediatrics.
  • Strengthen efforts to reduce the risk of suicide in children and adolescents through prevention programs.
  • Address the ongoing challenges of the acute care needs of children and adolescents, including shortage of beds and emergency room boarding.
  • Fully fund community-based systems of care that connect families to evidence-based interventions.
  • Promote and pay for trauma-informed care services.
  • Address workforce challenges, including recruiting underrepresented populations into mental health professions, to give all children access to mental health services.
  • Advance policies that ensure compliance with mental health parity laws.

How Vector Solutions Can Help

Staff & Student Resources

The Vector Training Staff Safety and Compliance course library covers topics like: 

  • Youth Suicide: Awareness, Prevention and Postvention
  • Self-Injury and Cutting
  • Bullying: Recognition and Response
  • Student Mental Health Awareness, Intervention, and Referral
  • Stress Management

Vector Training offers a comprehensive course library for students in grades 6-8 and 9-12. These courses cover a variety of topics such as: 

  • Bullying and Cyberbullying
  • Depression Awareness
  • Stress and Anxiety
  • Youth Suicide Risk

Vector LiveSafe improves your ability to receive valuable tips and track, manage, and respond to incidents and emergencies, resulting in increased student safety and wellness across your school community. The safety communications platform can be accessed through the Vector LiveSafe mobile app, where students can report incidents of: 

  • Bullying
  • Threats of violence
  • Student mental health crisis
  • Suicide ideation
  • And more 

The app can be customized to meet the needs of your school and student population, and now includes the option to add a silent panic alarm for emergencies. 

Request A Demo
On-Demand Webinar Resources

Want to Know More?

Reach out and a Vector Solutions representative will respond back to help answer any questions you might have.

Contact Us