Pediatric mental health: Challenges and solutions in Texas

(The Dallas Examiner) – Texas is home to about 8.3 million children. Of that number, 1.2 million have reported some sort of mental health challenge – which included behavioral problems, conduct problems, anxiety problems, and depression, according to the Census Bureau’s National Survey of Children’s Health. Among the children identified as having mental health challenges, 264,000 said they seriously contemplated suicide within the last year. Of those youth, 21% were Black and Hispanic. Moreover, Black children were least likely to seek support, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Related Stories There has been a notable increase in reporting mental health challenges among children before the pandemic, but that the pandemic likely further exacerbated it, according to Dr. Betsy Kennard, pediatric psychologist at Children’s Health. “We know that rates of depression, as well as suicidal thoughts and behaviors, had been increasing, but since the pandemic, it’s gotten worse,” Kennard said. “You’ll hear professionals say at this time there’s a mental health crisis in pediatrics.” Despite the increased demand for mental health services, Texas has around 1,384 pediatric psychiatry beds available to serve its entire population of 8.3 million children, according to a Fox 7 Austin report. Plans are...