Megan Cole, PhD, MPH, co-director of TEAM UP’s research and evaluation team, led research looking at trends in mental health diagnosis across Massachusetts in “Pediatric Primary Care Visits With Mental Health Needs”, published in JAMA Network Open this week. The study was led by TEAM UP Co-Director of Research and Evaluation Megan Cole Brahim, PhD, MPH, along with first author Kerrin Gallagher, PhD, MPH led the research alongside TEAM UP team members Alyssa Burnett, MPH; Jihye Kim, PhD; Chris Sheldrick, PhD; Anita Morris, MSN, FNP-BC; and Emily Feinberg, ScD, CPNP. Researchers tracked mental health diagnoses in primary care visits for about 1.8 million insured children in Massachusetts over 10 years.
Key findings:
- Primary care visits with a mental health diagnosis rose from about 6 per 100 children in 2014 to nearly 10 per 100 children in 2023
- 1 in 10 children who visit primary care now present a mental health need during their visit
- Anxiety-related visits grew by close to 300% — the fastest-growing diagnosis by far
- ADHD remained the most common mental health need seen in primary care throughout the study period
This important study reflects the TEAM UP Center’s on-going efforts to shed light on the mental health needs of children and families, using the most comprehensive longitudinal data available. We are grateful to our anchor funders, the Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation and The Klarman Family Foundation, whose support made this work possible.
Read the full study → JAMA Network Open
Read the New York Times article → nytimes.com
Read Boston Globe article → bostonglobe.com
Citation: Gallagher KM, Burnett A, Kim J, et al. Pediatric Primary Care Visits With Mental Health Needs. JAMA Netw Open. 2026;9(5):e2613315. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.13315