Children’s Mental Health Visits Have Shot Up, Research Shows
TEAM UP Co-Director of Research and Evaluation Megan Cole Brahim, PhD, MPH was featured in The New York Times this week for her research on the growing mental health crisis in pediatric primary care.
The article, “Children’s Mental Health Visits Have Shot Up, Research Shows,” covers the recent study published in JAMA Network Open — research in which TEAM UP Co-Director of Research and Evaluation Megan Cole Brahim, PhD, MPH served as senior author alongside TEAM UP team members Kerrin Gallagher, PhD, MPH; Alyssa Burnett, MPH; Jihye Kim, PhD; Chris Sheldrick, PhD; Anita Morris, MSN, FNP-BC; and Emily Feinberg, ScD, CPNP.
The study analyzed insurance claims for more than 1.8 million children in Massachusetts over 10 years and found that anxiety-related visits in pediatric primary care rose by more than 250% between 2014 and 2023 — far outpacing every other mental health diagnosis.
“Over one in 10 children who walk through the door of primary care have a mental health need that comes up during their visit. The magnitude of these issues is surprising,” said Cole.
She called for behavioral health services to be integrated directly into primary care — the core approach the TEAM UP model delivers every day.
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. TEAM UP congratulates Megan Cole Brahim and the TEAM UP evaluation team on this significant recognition of their work.