Mental Health Treatment Among Children Aged 5–17 Years: United States, 2019

"Key findings

Data from the National Health Interview Survey

• Children aged 12–17 years were more likely to have received any mental health treatment (including having taken prescription medication and received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional) in the past 12 months (16.8%) compared with children aged 5–11 years (10.8%).
• Boys (9.8%) were more likely than girls (7.0%) to have taken medication for their mental health in the past 12 months.
• Non-Hispanic white children were more likely than Hispanic or non-Hispanic black children to have received any mental health treatment in the past 12 months.
• As the level of urbanization decreased, the percentage of children who received any mental health treatment or had taken medication for their mental health increased.

About 16.5% of school-aged children had been diagnosed with a mental health disorder in the United States in 2016 (1). The most common mental health disorders among children include attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, and behavioral disorders (2). This report describes the percentage of U.S. children aged 5–17 years who have taken prescription medication for mental health or have received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional in the past 12 months by select characteristics, based on data from the 2019 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Estimates are also presented for any mental health treatment, defined as having taken medication for mental health, received counseling or therapy, or both in the past 12 months..."
Mental health and children