According to research from federal regulators and medical groups, the suicide rate in the US for pre-teens through young adults (ages 10 to 19) rose by an alarming 56% from 2007 to 2016, which is the most recent year that statistics are available. Additionally, according to the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH), during that time  only 40% of young people with major depression received treatment. It has been further noted that behavioral health diagnoses have greatly increased over the past decade as more and more young people must cope with mental health and substance abuse issues. In fact, according to information from Fair Health, behavioral health cases increased 108% from 2007 to 2017, going from 1.3% to 2.7% of all medical claim lines. Similarly, the share of claims for those 22 years old or younger with major depressive disorder have increased from 15% to 23% over that same decade.

These skyrocketing statistics have led many to aver that the US medical system is woefully inadequate in meeting the need for teen mental health services, resulting in an extremely  serious public health crisis.