Boston 25 ‘Gets Real’ about the youth mental health crisis

Boston 25 is getting real about the crisis surrounding kids and mental health and how this crisis was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

For weeks, Boston 25 news anchor Kerry Kavanaugh has been speaking with educators, doctors, lawmakers, advocates and, most importantly, parents and kids. They told us all the same thing: kids are suffering more than ever now and there are not enough resources to meet their mental health needs.

This was an issue before the pandemic that’s grown in urgency. The number of children in emergency rooms, desperate for help, has grown. Children’s Hospital in Boston told us when a child shows up in their emergency room in a mental health crisis, they’re waiting there on average 20 days for services. That’s just one example.

In a series of reports, Kavanaugh has looked at how schools are trying to identify students that need help now that they’re back in the classroom. She examined the crisis of resources. She assembled a panel of experts to talk about how Massachusetts can tackle this head-on and connected with a local doctor who shared a checklist for parents and guardians to make sure kids are set up for success this school year.

It all culminated in an in-depth program, ‘Boston 25 Gets Real about Kids and Mental Health.’ Our work on this important issue continues.

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