Policy Recommendations

Though there are Federal efforts to address the national mental health crisis for youth, there is still work to be done to meet the mental and behavioral health needs of youth. Public policy can be a tool used to address the limited access to mental and behavioral health services in America. As policymakers work to address the mental health crisis hindering youth, they should include the following factors:

Improving structures that address having continuously available services, culturally appropriate services, and evidence-based early intervention/prevention services.

Providing more substantial mental health investments in Medicaid and private insurance.

Protect the existence of telehealth to ensure that there are options for accessing mental and behavioral services.

Expanding available life-affirming mental and behavioral services for Black LGBTQ youth. Services that indicate LGBTQ youth life has value.

Expanding and improving funding for current policies that support mental and behavioral health services within school systems.

Treating and creating access to mental and behavioral health services at the same level as traditional medicine and physical care.

Conclusion

Behavioral and mental illness is common within the United States of America, but millions of people go untreated. Behavioral and mental health conditions are impacting America’s youth at alarming rates. Black youth aren’t excluded from the impacts of mental and behavioral illness. Access to behavioral and mental health services is pivotal to ensuring a person’s well-being. Though the Federal government has acknowledged that the nation is facing a mental health crisis among youth, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to keep youth safe. To be certain that youth are getting the services they need, policymakers and industry professionals must move away from one-size fits all approaches and use an intersectional lens to serve youth. Expanding behavioral and mental health services can be lifesaving for Black youth, especially Black trans and nonbinary youth.

A National Crisis Impacting Black

References

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7 Supra Note 3.

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9 Supra Note 7.

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12 Id.

13 University of Massachusetts Global. (n.d.). Behavioral health vs. Mental health: Breaking down the differences. Psychology https://www.umassglobal.edu/news-and-events/blog/comparing-behavioral-health-vs-mental-health

14 Id.

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16 Id.

17 Office of the Surgeon General. (2021). Protecting Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-youth-mental-healthadvisory.pdf

18 Id.

19 Id.

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21 Supra Note 18.

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26 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2018). 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: African Americans. SAMHSA; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.mhanational.org/issues/blackand-african-american-communities-and-mental-health

27 Id.

28 Supra Note 4.

29 Supra Note 27.

31 Supra Note 5.

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33 Jon-Ubabuco, N., & Dimmitt Champion, J. (2019). Perceived mental healthcare barriers and health-seeking behavior of African American caregivers of adolescents with mental health disorders. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 40(7), 585–592. https://doi.org/10.1080/01612840.2018.1547803

34 The White House. (2023, May 18). Fact Sheet: Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Actions to Tackle Nation’s Mental Health Crisis. The White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/05/18/factsheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-new-actions-to-tackle-nations-mental-health-crisis/

39 H.Res.434—Declaring a mental health crisis among youth in the United States, and expressing the pressing need for historic investments in mental health care for students., H.Res.434, 118th Congress.

40 Moulton Leads Bipartisan Resolution Declaring National Youth Mental Health Crisis. (2023, May 23). https://moulton. house.gov/press-releases/moulton-leads-bipartisan-resolution-declaring-national-youth-mental-health-crisis