History of Pediatric Mental Health in the U.S.

The youth mental health crisis in America is not new. But the COVID-19 pandemic drove unprecedented numbers of kids to seek care at all levels, bringing the problem to the public's attention. In 2021, the surgeon general's office issued the Youth Mental Health Advisory to highlight the ongoing mental health crisis in the U.S.

Listen to pediatric experts discuss the youth mental health crisis

In this episode, we begin our season 6 focus on mental health with our Charting Pediatrics Mental Health series. Our special guests are U.S Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, and our first-ever Mental Health-in-Chief Ron-Li Liaw, MD.

Dr. Murthy serves as the 21st surgeon general of the U.S. Dr. Murthy is a renowned physician, research scientist and entrepreneur. As the "Nation's Doctor," the surgeon general's mission is to help lay the foundation for a healthier country.

Dr. Liaw is the Children’s Hospital Colorado Cannon Y. & Lyndia Harvey chair in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the vice chair of Diversity, Health Equity and Inclusion.

In this episode, our experts discuss:

• The root causes of our strained youth mental health system
• The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth mental health
• Record numbers of children experiencing loneliness before the pandemic
• The impact of technology and social media on youth mental health
• Obstacles youth experience while seeking care
• Efforts to increase access and improve the mental health infrastructure

Pediatric mental health at Children’s Colorado

The Pediatric Mental Health Institute at Children's Colorado provides the highest quality mental health services to children, adolescents and their families. We strive to deliver evidence-based, family-focused and youth-centered services that make a difference.