28 Must-Know Mental Health in Children Statistics

In the United States alone, one in five adults lives with a mental illness. The burden of these conditions continues to grow and has significant health impacts across the globe.

Adults aren’t the only ones who these illnesses affect. Sadly, children are also experiencing high rates which contribute to the negative impact even more. For those ages 10 to 19 years, mental health conditions make up 16% of the global burden of disease and injury.

Researchers don’t always know the cause of a disorder. But they’ve identified certain factors that may contribute to a child’s risk of developing one. For instance, in a recent infographic, I included the negative impact of technology. This also has consequences on children’s mental health.

But regardless of how they occur, they have significant detrimental effects on youth. These conditions are more likely to carry over into adulthood when people develop them at younger ages. And conditions may become more severe as children experience them for so long.

This infographic gives real-world statistics that explain the impacts of mental health in children.

Conclusion

Mental health is a growing concern across all demographics, but especially children. The longer someone experiences a condition, the worse impacts it will have. People are more likely to face these illnesses at young ages and have higher chances for severe impairment.

Causes can vary but researchers believe that it’s a combination of risk factors. As children spend more time in front of screens, they are experiencing higher rates of psychological conditions. They also don’t experience nature as often anymore which can actually decrease the risk for mental health disorders.

Because certain conditions have similar symptoms, it’s common for youth to receive misdiagnoses. But by addressing the impacts of mental health on children, fewer of them will experience long-term complications.

Impacts of Mental Health on Children Resources

• As of 2015, around 17.1 million children in the US have or had a psychiatric disorder. Half of these illnesses occur before age 14, and 75% occur by age 24 - Child Mind Institute
• In any given year, 20% of American children received a diagnosis for a mental illness - WebMD
• 22.2% of the American youth will have a diagnosable mental health condition with “serious impairment” by age 18 - PubMed
• Depression is the fourth leading cause of illness and disability worldwide for people ages 15 to 19 - World Health Organization
• Around 13 of 100 children ages 9 to 17 experience an anxiety disorder. 4% have separation anxiety disorder - Boston Children’s Hospital
• The median age of minors with anxiety disorders was 12 years old. 55% were females - Psychiatric Times
• The median age of onset for anxiety in children is 6 years - PubMed
• The exact causes for conditions are unknown, but research suggests a combination of factors. These include hereditary (genetics), biology, psychological trauma, and environmental stress - WebMD
• Over two-thirds of children reported at least 1 traumatic event by age 16 - SAMHSA
• 54% of US families have experienced some type of disaster - SAMHSA
• In 2015, the national average of child abuse and neglect victims was 9.2 per 1,000 children - SAMHSA
• Children play outside for an average of just over four hours per week. Those aged 10 to 16 spend only 12.6 minutes per day on vigorous outdoor activities - Child in the City
• Children who grow up in greener surroundings have a 55% lower chance for developing a mental health disorder later in life - EurekAlert
• Exposure to green space can decrease rates of anxiety disorders, depression, and ADHD - ScienceAdvances
• Between 2005 and 2014, there were 198,450 new anxiety diagnoses among children. Within a year after the diagnosis, 2% of children had a mental health-related hospitalization and 1.4% had an anxiety-related ER visit. .08% had inpatient treated self-harm - Wiley Online Library
• Child suicide rates increased by up to 150% within a decade. Self-harm by girls ages 10 to 14 have nearly tripled - The US Sun  
• Suicide is the second-leading cause of death in people ages 10 to 24 - NCBI
• In 2011-2012, 7.5% of US children ages 6 to 17 were taking medication for “emotional or behavioral difficulties” - National Institute of Mental Health
• One common misdiagnosis for children is ADHD. - Amen Clinics
• A study found that around 20% of the 4.5 million children with an ADHD diagnosis have likely been misdiagnosed - MSU Today
• Yet 6% of all kids in the US take medication for ADHD - Hillside Atlanta
• Smartphones can cause sleep problems for teens which leads to depression, anxiety, and acting out - Providence
• Teens who limited screen time to less than 30 minutes a day were less lonely and depressed after just three weeks - Healthline
• 66% of children under the age of 5 exceeded the recommended daily screen time limit, with an average of 4.1 hours. By adolescence, the average increased to 7.5 hours per day - NCBI
• Children and teens who watch TV for over two hours daily have lower scores of self-esteem and self-worth - AboutKidsHealth
• After one hour of use per day, more hours of screen time were associated with lower psychological well-being - NCBI
• High screen-time use for teens ages 14 to 17 were over twice as likely to have a depression or anxiety diagnosis, been treated by a mental health professional - NCBI
• Around 10% of teens reported being the victims of cyberbullying or offensive comments on social media - HelpGuide