A Youth Mental Health Crisis
Former US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy issued two health advisories important to children's mental health. The first advisory (2021) addressed the rise of children's mental health problems since the pandemic. The second advisory (2024) addressed increased stress experienced by parents and caregivers. This video shows highlights of Dr. Murthy's testimony before a Senate committee. He addresses potential causes of children's mental health problems including COVID-19, economic uncertainty, and social media.
Social Media on Trial
In February 2026, a landmark trial began in which Instagram's parent company Meta, and Google's YouTube faced claims that their platforms deliberately addict and harm children. TikTok and Snap, which were originally named in the lawsuit, settled for undisclosed sums. The plaintiffs include a 19-year-old who said that she was harmed by the habitual use of social media.
Looking for Help
The United States was experiencing an increase in children's mental health problems before COVID-19. Social distancing, school closures, and enconomic stress brought on by the pandemic exacerbated this problem. This excellent 60 Minutes story illustrates the shortage of mental health services available to children and families. Youths, parents, and professionals describe how they are trying to cope with this crisis. Warning: This video describes suicidal thoughts and eating disorders.
Effective Child Therapy
The Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology maintains a user-friendly site that describes evidence-based treatments for mental health problems in children. This is the best place to start if you want to learn more about scientific ways to support children and families.
Careers in Children's Mental Health
Nationwide Children's Hospital has an excellent website and series of videos that introduces college students to careers in behavioral health. It is an excellent way to learn more about careers in psychology, social work, medicine, nursing, counseling, and other fields relevant to children's mental health.
APA Ethics Code
Every professional organization has its own ethics code. You can read the American Psychological Association's Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct here. Remember that the General Principles are aspiratinal goals toward which psychologists strive. In contrast, Sections 1-10 describe the standards, or rules, that psychologists must follow in their day-to-day practice.
DSM-5-TR Cross-Cutting Symptom Measures for Children
DSM-5-TR uses categorical classification to diagnose youths with mental health problems. However, clinicians have the options to use the DSM-5-TR Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure to assess youths dimensionally, that is, to rate the frequency and severity of their symptoms on a scale from low to high. The Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure assess a wide range of symptoms that children might experience such as anger, anxiety, depression, irritability, and sleep problems.