In the U.S., 21.6% of adolescents aged 13 to 18 reported a mental health condition in 2023, yet 67% of children and adolescents with a diagnosable mental health disorder do not receive treatment. That gap matters because across the UK, 14.6% of children and young people in England have probable mental health disorders, while access to care still lags behind need. Below, you will see how common issues like ADHD, anxiety, and conduct disorders are tracked and where delays, shortages, and uneven service coverage reshape outcomes.
Key Takeaways
- 2.3% of U.S. children aged 3–17 years had at least one diagnosed conduct disorder (parent report)
- 9.8% of U.S. children aged 2–17 years had symptoms of ADHD in 2022
- In England, 1 in 8 children and young people had at least one mental health disorder in 2022
- 2 in 3 (67%) of children and adolescents with a diagnosable mental health disorder do not receive treatment in the U.S. (estimate from U.S. systematic review evidence)
- 42% of U.S. children with mental health needs did not receive needed services in 2022 (NHCS/MEPS-based estimate)
- In the U.S., 50.9% of youth aged 12–17 with major depression reported unmet need for mental health care in 2021
- In 2020, the U.S. had 7.6 pediatric mental health specialists per 100,000 youth (system-level workforce density)
- In England, there were 3.0 whole-time equivalent CAMHS staff per 100,000 children and young people in 2022
- In Germany, 1.9 child psychiatrists per 100,000 children under 18 years (workforce density, OECD health workforce data)
- Between 2009 and 2018, pediatric emergency department visits for mental health conditions increased by 20% (trend estimate)
- In the U.S., 16.7% of adolescents aged 12–17 reported receiving mental health treatment in the past 12 months (survey estimate)
- In 2020, telehealth mental health visits for youth increased 38% compared with the pre-pandemic period (U.S. claims-based estimate)
- In 2022, 12.0% of youth aged 12–17 received treatment including both therapy and medication (survey estimate)
- In England, 16% of children and young people who accessed specialist mental health services in 2022–23 received medication as part of care (service coding estimate)
- A meta-analysis found that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for youth anxiety produced a standardized mean difference of about 0.5 versus control conditions
Many children struggle with mental health needs, but most do not get timely, adequate care.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence7 stats
01
2.3% of U.S. children aged 3–17 years had at least one diagnosed conduct disorder (parent report)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db478.pdf
02
9.8% of U.S. children aged 2–17 years had symptoms of ADHD in 2022https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db538.pdf
03
In England, 1 in 8 children and young people had at least one mental health disorder in 2022https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical-collection/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england
04
In 2022, 14.6% of children and young people in England had probable mental health disorders (age-weighted estimate, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire-based)https://files.digital.nhs.uk/2F/CCB8B5/Mental%20health%20of%20children%20and%20young%20people%20in%20England%20-%20wave%20data.xlsx
05
Up to 1 in 5 children and adolescents may experience a mental health problem at some pointhttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health
06
In 2021, 6.0% of U.S. adolescents aged 12–17 had anxiety disorders (NHANES-based estimates)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9443276/
07
In the U.S., 21.6% of adolescents aged 13–18 experienced a mental health condition in 2023 (weighted percentage, parent/peer survey data)https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt41418/2023-NSCH-Mental-Health.pdf
Interpretation
Prevalence Interpretation
Prevalence remains high across childhood and adolescence, with rates like 9.8% of U.S. children aged 2–17 showing ADHD symptoms in 2022 and 21.6% of U.S. adolescents aged 13–18 reporting a mental health condition in 2023, alongside England estimates where 1 in 8 children and young people had at least one mental health disorder in 2022.
02 · Category
Access7 stats
01
2 in 3 (67%) of children and adolescents with a diagnosable mental health disorder do not receive treatment in the U.S. (estimate from U.S. systematic review evidence)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2700963
02
42% of U.S. children with mental health needs did not receive needed services in 2022 (NHCS/MEPS-based estimate)https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2024/09/26/expanding-mental-health-support-for-children-and-families.html
03
In the U.S., 50.9% of youth aged 12–17 with major depression reported unmet need for mental health care in 2021https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK574748/
04
In 2021, 10.1% of U.S. children aged 4–17 had difficulty getting mental health services when needed (parent-reported)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db507.pdf
05
In the U.S., the median time to first psychiatric appointment for children can exceed 6 weeks in many regions (reported median wait time, time-to-care studies)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2781564
06
In Australia, 23% of children and young people with mental health conditions had not accessed professional support in the past 12 months (survey estimate)https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/children-youth/children-youth-mental-health/data
07
In the U.S., 56% of youth aged 16–17 who attempted suicide did not receive mental health treatment (survey-based estimate)https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7101a1.htm
Interpretation
Access Interpretation
Across the Access gap, large shares of young people are left without timely help, including 67% who do not receive treatment in the U.S. despite having a diagnosable disorder and 42% who did not receive needed services in 2022.
03 · Category
Workforce7 stats
01
In 2020, the U.S. had 7.6 pediatric mental health specialists per 100,000 youth (system-level workforce density)https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7009a3.htm
02
In England, there were 3.0 whole-time equivalent CAMHS staff per 100,000 children and young people in 2022https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/nhs-mental-health-services-for-children-and-young-people
03
In Germany, 1.9 child psychiatrists per 100,000 children under 18 years (workforce density, OECD health workforce data)https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=HEALTH_STAT
04
In 2021, 25% of U.S. behavioral health provider organizations reported clinician burnout as a barrier to access (survey estimate)https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/2022-09/behavioral-health-workforce-burnout.pdf
05
In the U.S., 1 in 5 child psychologists reported they were accepting fewer patients due to workload in 2022 (survey estimate)https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/04/data
06
In 2020, 58% of U.S. counties had mental health provider shortages including psychiatrists (federal HRSA shortage measures)https://data.hrsa.gov/topics/health-workforce/shortage-areas
07
In 2022, 33% of U.S. school districts reported difficulty hiring mental health staff (survey estimate)https://www.scholastic.com/teacher-resources/articles/scholastic-schools/school-district-mental-health-staffing.pdf
Interpretation
Workforce Interpretation
Across countries, the workforce picture looks thin and worsening, with the U.S. at just 7.6 pediatric mental health specialists per 100,000 youth in 2020 and shortages showing up in practice as 58% of U.S. counties had mental health provider gaps in 2020 while 33% of U.S. school districts struggled to hire mental health staff in 2022.
More related reading
04 · Category
Service Utilization8 stats
01
Between 2009 and 2018, pediatric emergency department visits for mental health conditions increased by 20% (trend estimate)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2739441
02
In the U.S., 16.7% of adolescents aged 12–17 reported receiving mental health treatment in the past 12 months (survey estimate)https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2023-mental-health-americas-children-and-adolescents
03
In 2020, telehealth mental health visits for youth increased 38% compared with the pre-pandemic period (U.S. claims-based estimate)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2776323
04
In the U.S., 1 in 4 (25%) pediatric mental health outpatient visits used telehealth in 2021 (claims-based estimate)https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2022.00438
05
In 2022, 60% of U.S. pediatric primary care practices reported using standardized screening tools for mental health (practice survey estimate)https://www.pcpcc.org/resource/behavioral-health-in-primary-care-survey-2022
06
In 2022, the median number of therapy sessions received by youth who started outpatient psychotherapy in the U.S. was 8 (claims-based median)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9010163/
07
In 2021, 10.0% of U.S. adolescents had contact with school counselors for mental health support (survey estimate)https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2022/2022029.pdf
08
In 2020, 5.3% of U.S. youth used crisis services (e.g., hotlines or crisis lines) related to mental health concerns (survey estimate)https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/2020-mental-health-crisis-services.pdf
Interpretation
Service Utilization Interpretation
Service utilization for children’s mental health appears to be rising across multiple care settings, with pediatric emergency department visits up 20% from 2009 to 2018 and youth telehealth mental health visits increasing 38% in 2020, while by 2021 25% of pediatric mental health outpatient visits used telehealth and 60% of pediatric primary care practices reported using standardized screening tools in 2022.
05 · Category
Medication & Treatment9 stats
01
In 2022, 12.0% of youth aged 12–17 received treatment including both therapy and medication (survey estimate)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db473.pdf
02
In England, 16% of children and young people who accessed specialist mental health services in 2022–23 received medication as part of care (service coding estimate)https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical-collection/mental-health-services-for-children-and-young-people
03
A meta-analysis found that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for youth anxiety produced a standardized mean difference of about 0.5 versus control conditionshttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2725696
04
A meta-analysis found that CBT for youth depression improved outcomes with a standardized mean difference of ~0.56 versus controlhttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2717052
05
A systematic review reported that dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for adolescents reduced self-harm compared with control, with risk reduction estimateshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7602526/
06
In the U.S., 2.6% of children (age 2–17) used medication for ADHD in 2022 (NHCS prescription estimate)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db545.pdf
07
In a large randomized trial, Multisystemic Therapy (MST) reduced recidivism by about 25% compared with usual services for certain justice-involved youth (trial outcomes)https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa032213
08
In the U.S., 31% of youth mental health treatment plans included evidence-based therapy by 2022 (provider-reported adoption estimate)https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1234-1.html
09
In a 2021 effectiveness study, 62% of adolescents completing outpatient CBT met criteria for clinical improvement (study outcome proportion)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8611858/
Interpretation
Medication & Treatment Interpretation
Overall, treatment that includes medications is relatively limited, with only 12.0% of youth aged 12 to 17 receiving therapy plus medication in 2022 and 16% of children and young people in England getting medication within specialist mental health care in 2022 to 23, while evidence-based therapies like CBT still show strong improvement effects (around standardized mean differences of 0.5 to 0.56) that largely drive better outcomes.
06 · Category
Economic Impact2 stats
01
In a U.S. study, caregiver out-of-pocket spending for child mental health services averaged $600per year for families using services (survey estimate)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8227593/
02
In a peer-reviewed model, scaling evidence-based school mental health interventions can yield return on investment ranging from 2x to 4x depending on assumptions (economic evaluation)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8794424/
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
From an economic impact perspective, U.S. caregiver out-of-pocket costs average $600 per year for families using child mental health services, and peer-reviewed modeling suggests that scaling school-based interventions could generate a 2x to 4x return on investment depending on assumptions.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
David Sutherland. (2026, February 13). Mental Health In Children Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mental-health-in-children-statistics
MLA
David Sutherland. "Mental Health In Children Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/mental-health-in-children-statistics.
Chicago
David Sutherland. 2026. "Mental Health In Children Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mental-health-in-children-statistics.
Sources & references
40 datasets cited across this report
+22 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)