Children's Mental Health

Decades-long systemic shortcomings have left suicide among children ages 5 to 11 poorly tracked and addressed. Now, as rates appear to be rising, advocates are strengthening efforts to screen for problems and prevent deaths in younger children.

Ahead of the new school year, AdventHealth is seeing an uptick in children and teens seeking help for anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts and self-harm behavior.

After the school district agreed to pay $440,000 to resolve a lawsuit over its use of the Baker Act on students, some advocates want more protections for children.

The homicide rate for older teens rose to its highest point in nearly 25 years during the COVID pandemic, and the suicide rate for adults in their early 20s was the worst in more than 50 years, researchers say.

The decision to invest $10 million to expand services came after the county received a report detailing the status of mental health in the region last year.

At a time of rising rates of depression and anxiety among teens, the American Psychological Association warns parents their children need more protection when they are online.

Bills to regulate social media, including its use in schools, are already moving through the Florida Legislature with bipartisan support.

Schools contending with soaring student mental health needs and other challenges have been struggling to determine just how much COVID is to blame. Are emotional struggles the sign of a disability that will impair their learning?

The Baker Act is a state law that allows courts, law enforcement officers, and certain medical workers to order people who could be a harm to themselves or others to be taken to facilities for up to 72 hours.

The state has ranked 35th in the nation for three years in a row. Policy experts say Florida needs to do more to assist families and support child mental health.

Throughout the month of May, WUSF is featuring the voices of local teachers, as they describe the challenges they face, in their own words.

The law requires that parents of students receiving mental-health services be informed of “other behavioral health services available through the student's school or local community-based” providers.