U.S. is spending big on child mental health, addiction treatment, study says

"Often, they arrive at the hospital in crisis, she said. Foster's experience aligns with a well-known and disturbing trend in American health care: more children are having mental health problems. In 2023, 40% of high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and 20% had seriously considered attempting suicide, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study."

"Foster wondered how much that care was costing families and the broader U.S. health system. In a new study published Monday, she and a team of researchers found that the U.S. spent $42 billion on behavioral health care for youth in 2022 - about 40% of all health care spending on infants, children and teens. That share of spending doubled between 2011 and 2022, the study found."

Emergency departments in San Francisco and across the U.S. are treating increasing numbers of adolescents for substance abuse, anxiety, depression and other behavioral health issues, with many arriving in crisis. In 2023, 40% of high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and 20% had seriously considered attempting suicide. U.S. spending on behavioral health care for youth reached $42 billion in 2022, representing about 40% of all health care spending for infants, children and teens. That share doubled between 2011 and 2022. Out-of-pocket spending for behavioral health rose at more than twice the rate of other care, contributing to high and extreme financial burdens for families.

Read at The Mercury News