Leading pediatric mental health company, Little Otter, releases a new whitepaper titled “Breaking the Silence: Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Young Children and Their Families,” finding that young children (birth to age 14) suffer significantly high rates of mental health concerns while being excluded from basic levels of care.
SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, Little Otter, a leading pediatric mental health company, released new data that sheds light on the worsening mental health crisis for families and young children in America. Backed by their proprietary mental health screening tool, the report titled Breaking the Silence represents one of the largest datasets examining mental health challenges for young children (birth to age 14) and how their experiences are interconnected with parental mental health and family relationships.
Little Otter analyzed 2.4 million data points from more than 11,000 families seeking care on their platform to uncover valuable insights into the mental well-being of families across the country. The study found that 79% of children, from birth to age 14, scored in the significantly high range for mental health concerns. The rates of concerning emotional and behavioral challenges were similar for preschoolers, early school-age children, and “tweens.” A quarter of the infants (mean age 5.6 months) experienced dysregulation in crying, eating, sleeping, and emotions that were adversely impacting their development.
The Little Otter data shows that mothers are also experiencing a mental health crisis. 46% of moms were in the clinical range for anxiety, and 29% were in the clinical range for depression. Furthermore, the data clearly showed that the mental health struggles of mothers and their children are closely intertwined. For moms reporting clinical anxiety and depression, over 90% of their kids were also experiencing mental health challenges.
Early intervention is not only effective but essential.
Breaking the Silence also examined the impacts that early intervention for mental health can have on the child, parents, and family.
After an average of 12 weeks of therapeutic care, 71% of kids in Little Otter’s program were in remission, with half (50%) reaching full remission of their emotional challenges. The same trends held true for their parents: after 12 weeks, 67% of parents who had been in the clinical range for anxiety were no longer in the clinical range after 12 weeks. They also found that 65% of families who reported elevated stress at the start of treatment reported manageable stress after 12 weeks.
“This study confirms what we at Little Otter already knew to be true,” said Dr. Helen Egger, Chief Medical Officer at Little Otter. “Mental health disorders begin early in life, are common and impairing, but are also very treatable. We as a nation have to identify and treat mental health disorders as early as possible to reduce current and future suffering. My focus is on urging all stakeholders – healthcare systems, policymakers, families – to tackle early childhood mental health now. The earlier we can treat these children and families, the bigger and broader the impact will be.”
One of the greatest barriers to progress in mental health continues to be access. Children under the age of 12 have the lowest rates of mental health service utilization, and simply put, it’s an issue of availability. Only 10.8% of kids 5-12 years old compared to 16.8% of kids 13-17 years old have received mental health care in the last 12 months. We don’t even have utilization rates for children 5 years old and younger.
“Even if parents and families want to treat their mental health problems, access to that care is an uphill battle,” said Rebecca Egger, CEO of Little Otter. “We know how to solve this crisis – by intervening early and often in mental health struggles, we can positively impact the course of one’s well-being from childhood and into adulthood. That’s why we founded Little Otter – we want to create the infrastructure that isn’t present in most American communities, which is the access to personalized, whole-family care.”
Little Otter’s insights have uncovered the nuances that are driving a nationwide struggle with mental health. To read the full report and learn more about Little Otter’s proven solutions, please click here.
ABOUT LITTLE OTTER
Little Otter is a pediatric mental health company that focuses on the mental health of young children and their families. Founded by world-renowned child psychiatrist (and mother of four) Dr. Helen Egger and entrepreneur Rebecca Egger, Little Otter’s mission is to bring expert care for children’s mental health to every home. Just like a pediatrician who cares for a child’s physical health, Little Otter cares for all aspects of a child’s mental health, along with their family’s mental health and wellbeing. Through proprietary assessments and quarterly mental health check-ups for each child and their family, Little Otter provides personalized, virtual care and an integrated care team to support healthy emotional development and treat emerging emotional and behavioral challenges.
Contacts
Conor Douglass, 860-707-4710
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