Mental Health Treatment Among School-aged Children

Published:
September 23, 2020

Mental Health Treatment Among Children Aged 5–17 Years: United States, 2019

September 2020A new data brief from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) examined mental health treatment among children aged 5-17. About 16.5% of school-aged children had been diagnosed with a mental health disorder in 2016 with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and anxiety among the two most common types.

Children aged 12-17 were more likely to have received mental health treatment than children aged 5-11. Receiving counseling or therapy was more common than taking prescription medication among both age groups. While no significant difference was seen by sex in the receipt of counseling or therapy by a mental health professional, boys were more likely than girls to have taken prescription medication.

Differences were also observed in treatment receipt depending on ethnicity and urbanization. Non-Hispanic white children were the most likely to receive any mental health treatment, and children in large metropolitan areas were more likely to receive treatment than those in rural areas.

 

Read the full brief for details.

Visit our school mental health resources page.

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Author(s)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Contributing Center(s):
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