Four years after the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) declared a national emergency for children’s mental health, the crisis remains urgent. Children nationwide continue to struggle with anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, and other mental health conditions, with too many families facing significant barriers to accessing pediatric mental health services and experiencing long delays for specialized care.
Persistent Gaps
Emergency departments continue to see higher numbers of youth in mental health crisis. The gap between need and available services remains widest in under-resourced communities and among diverse groups of children and adolescents, as well as those with complex mental health needs. According to Tami D. Benton, MD, president of AACAP, “The emergency we declared four years ago has not ended. Children still face unacceptable waits and barriers to care.”
Call to Action
The three organizations call on policymakers to invest in children’s mental health by growing the pediatric mental health workforce, strengthening the Medicaid program, expanding access to a full range of mental and behavioral health services, and ensuring insurance parity and equitable access to care. Susan J. Kressly, MD, FAAP, president of AAP, emphasizes that work remains “to best support the healthy mental development of young people—from reaching them with the care they need earlier on to ensuring pediatricians have the resources to make timely treatment possible, such as through teleconsultations with mental health teams.” Matthew Cook, CEO of CHA, notes that “children’s hospitals are on the front lines of this crisis” and need support amid ongoing workforce shortages and funding challenges.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.childrenshospitals.org/news/newsroom/2025/10/childrens-mental-health-remains-a-national-emergency