{"id":708492,"date":"2023-05-05T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-05T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/?post_type=article&p=708492"},"modified":"2023-05-04T16:11:52","modified_gmt":"2023-05-04T20:11:52","slug":"childrens-mental-health-earns-f-grade-on-nc-child-report-card","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/article\/childrens-mental-health-earns-f-grade-on-nc-child-report-card\/","title":{"rendered":"North Carolina Gets ‘F’ Grade for Children\u2019s Mental Health in New Report"},"content":{"rendered":"

NC Child<\/a> released their 2023 child health report card<\/a> on April 4, which grades North Carolina on 15 indicators of child health in the state.<\/p>\n

This year the report card\u2019s focus issue was children\u2019s mental health. North Carolina scored an \u201cF\u201d in mental health, showing a serious decline for students in the wake of the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cHomicide and suicide are the only causes of child death that are increasing in North Carolina,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n

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Post pandemic, 10.2% of high school students who attempted suicide were reported, according to NC Child, a 23.2% increase from baseline. Adolescents ages 12-17 with major depressive episodes similarly increased by 25.8%.<\/p>\n

The report says the trends are “deeply troubling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Erica Palmer Smith, the executive director of NC child, called the mental health data, \u201cespecially concerning,\u201d in an accompanying press release.<\/p>\n

For the past 20 years, NC Child has partnered with the North Carolina Institute of Medicine<\/a> (NCIOM) to release a report card every one to two years. By continually tracking data, they\u2019ve been able to document the changes to children\u2019s health through the pandemic.<\/p>\n

The 15 tracked indicators are grouped into four categories: secure homes and neighborhoods, access to care, healthy births, and health risk factors. Scores are calculated by comparing the state\u2019s yearly performance, disparities by race and ethnicity, and aspiration standards.<\/p>\n

Mental health findings<\/h3>\n

\u201cLong before pandemic school closures across the nation, clinicians were already seeing alarming trends across many indicators of child and adolescent mental health,\u201d the report states. \u201cMore than one in 10 children ages 3-17 in North Carolina had a diagnosis of depression or anxiety in 2020 – a 49% increase from 2016.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report finds that children who experience discrimination are disproportionately impacted, reporting worse mental health than their counterparts.<\/p>\n

\u201cLGBTQ+ students are more than three times more likely to consider or attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers,” the report says.<\/p>\n

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Graphic courtesy of NC Child.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Students of different races experience disparity as well \u2013 Hispanic or Latinx high school students reported the highest rates of attempted suicide within the past year, at 13.3%. That number was 12.5% for white high school students and 11.8% for African American or Black students.<\/p>\n

Health trends<\/h3>\n

When the mental health risks to students during the pandemic became apparent in 2020, the NC Department of Public Instruction<\/a> (DPI) updated their school mental health policy<\/a> to include mental health training and a suicide risk protocol.<\/p>\n

Despite this, NC Child’s 2023 report mirrors many of their findings in 2021<\/a>. Mental health, birth outcomes, and housing and economic security all received “F” grades in both years.<\/p>\n

This year’s report contains other worrying trends, including an 18.3% decrease in literacy rate among third grade students and a 9.12% increase in children between ages 10-17 who are overweight or obese. Again, massive disparities exist between ethnic and racial groups.<\/p>\n

\u201cNationally and in North Carolina, the data show a marked impact from the first two years of the pandemic, as students from low-income communities often had reduced access to online learning and enrichment activities during school closures and the shift to virtual classrooms,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n

But the report contained sparse positive trends as well. Insurance coverage for children in N.C. remains high at 94.5%, and children who live in high-poverty neighborhoods has decreased 11.1%.<\/p>\n