Children's Mental Health Day - Mental Health Awareness Month 2022

I'm Dr. Miriam Delfin-Rittman, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the leader of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. As we continue to recognize May as Mental Health Awareness Month and the mental health challenges our country is facing, we cannot ignore America's future, our children. Our children have been particularly impacted as losses from COVID and disruptions in routines and relationships have led to increased social isolation, anxiety, and learning loss. More than half of parents express concern over their children's mental well-being, and emergency department visits for attempted suicides have risen 51 percent among adolescent girls. Today, on Children's Mental Health Awareness Day, troubling trends like these make it even more critical for us to shine a national spotlight on the importance of caring for every child's mental health, and to reinforce the message that positive mental health is essential to a child's healthy development and overall health. For help finding mental health services near you, please call SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP, or visit findtreatment.samhsa.gov.