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Opinion
Lisa Jarvis

The Teen Mental Health Crisis Is No Place to Cut Corners

It’s expensive to help kids who are depressed or having suicidal thoughts. But the alternative is unthinkable.

A tough time to be a kid.

A tough time to be a kid.

Photographer: Olivier Douliery/AFP/Getty Images
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It’s no secret that kids in the US are struggling with mental health issues in increasing numbers. Now, a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association emphasizes the severity of the situation: Pediatric mental health hospitalizations are rising, and many more kids are being hospitalized for attempting suicide.

The data couldn’t be clearer: We’re not identifying and supporting struggling kids before they hit a crisis.