U.S. Surgeon General Issues Advisory on Youth Mental Health Crisis Further Exposed by COVID-19 Pandemic

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has released a new advisory calling attention to the urgent youth mental health crisis facing the country. As efforts continue to protect young Americans’ health – through initiatives like promoting pediatric COVID-19 vaccinations and addressing concerns about the omicron variant – the Surgeon General’s Advisory on Protecting Youth Mental Health details the pandemic’s deep impact on the mental well-being of young people and their families. It also addresses long-standing mental health challenges that were present well before COVID‑19 began.

The advisory stresses the need for an immediate and united response to this growing crisis while the country continues its fight against the pandemic. It includes recommendations for individuals, families, schools, community organizations, tech companies, government bodies, and other stakeholders to help improve the mental health of children, teens, and young adults.

“Mental health challenges in children, adolescents, and young adults are real and widespread. Even before the pandemic, an alarming number of young people struggled with feelings of helplessness, depression, and thoughts of suicide – and rates have increased over the past decade,” said Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. “The COVID-19 pandemic further altered their experiences at home, school, and in the community, and the effect on their mental health has been devastating. The future well-being of our country depends on how we support and invest in the next generation. Especially at this moment, as we work to protect the health of Americans in the face of a new variant, we also need to focus on how we can emerge stronger on the other side. This advisory shows us how we can all work together to step up for our children during this dual crisis.”

Even before COVID‑19, mental health concerns were already the top cause of disability and poor life outcomes among youth. In the U.S., nearly 1 in 5 children between ages 3 and 17 had a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral condition. Between 2009 and 2019, the percentage of high school students reporting ongoing feelings of sadness or hopelessness rose by 40%, affecting over one-third of students. Suicidal behavior also increased during this time, with 19% seriously considering suicide – a 36% rise since 2009 – and 16% creating a suicide plan, marking a 44% increase. From 2007 to 2018, suicide rates among youth ages 10 to 24 rose by 57%. Early data suggests that in 2020 alone, more than 6,600 young people in this age group died by suicide.

The pandemic added to the pre-existing challenges that America’s youth faced. COVID‑19 worsened many of the struggles already facing young people in the U.S. It disrupted major parts of their lives, including in-person education, social interaction with peers and mentors, access to healthcare and social services, as well as basic needs like food and housing. It also impacted the health and stability of their caregivers. These disruptions hit hardest for already vulnerable groups – such as youth with disabilities, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ youth, low-income families, those in rural communities or immigrant households, children involved in child welfare or juvenile justice systems, and those experiencing homelessness. In response, top pediatric health organizations across the country declared a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health this past Fall.

The Surgeon General’s Advisory on Protecting Youth Mental Health provides a roadmap of recommendations for improving youth mental health across eleven key areas. These include young people and their families, schools and educators, and media and tech companies. The main recommendations are:

• Acknowledge mental health as a critical part of overall well-being.
• Give young people and their families tools to understand, manage, and grow from emotional challenges.
• Guarantee access to affordable, high-quality, and culturally respectful mental health services for all youth.
• Promote mental wellness in schools, communities, and childcare settings, and strengthen the workforce in early childhood and education.
• Tackle the social and economic issues that fuel mental health struggles in youth, families, and caregivers.
• Improve timely data collection and research to better track and respond to youth mental health issues. This includes studying how technology affects mental health and pushing tech companies to be more open about their data and algorithms to support this research.

Surgeon General’s Advisories are official public messages that highlight urgent public health issues and recommend actions for the nation. They are used only for serious concerns that demand the public’s immediate focus.