Abstract
[This is an excerpt.] Mental health and substance use disorders in the United States were on the rise even before the pandemic and COVID-19 exacerbated many behavioral health conditions. In 2020, 21 percent of adults (52.9 million) reported having a mental illness in the past year and 15 percent (37.9 million) reported having a substance use disorder in the past year, with almost 7 percent of adults having both conditions. Recently released Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provisional data suggests that the rate of suicides in the U.S. increased 4 percent from 2020 to 2021, after two consecutive years of decline in 2019 and 2020. Behavioral health conditions begin early in childhood, with 1 in 6 children aged 2-8 being diagnosed with a mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder. Children experienced significant increases in diagnoses of anxiety and depression between 2016 and 2020. Youth have experienced substantial disruption to their development during COVID-19, as have those who are underserved – such as people from certain racial and ethnic groups, the LGBTQI+ community, people with disabilities, children and families involved with the child welfare system, and low-income individuals. [To read more, click View Resource.]
