Presidential Address: Investing in Children to Address the Child Mental Health Crisis

The child mental health crisis has been described as the “defining public health crisis of our time.” This article addresses three myths about the crisis: (i) the idea that the crisis is new; (ii) the belief that increases in youth suicide mainly reflect deterioration in children’s underlying mental health; and (iii) the myth that investments in children have little impact on children’s mental health. In fact, the crisis has existed for decades, youth suicides vary asynchronously with other mental health measures and are impacted by external factors such as firearms legislation, and investments can improve child mental health and prevent suicide. (JEL I12, I18, J13, J16)