While the pandemic has put everyone’s mental well-being at risk, adolescents have taken it especially hard and have struggled with the social isolation and heightened caution of the “new normal.”
According to the CDC, 44% of high school students reported persistent feelings of hopelessness and sadness, while emergency department visits for attempted suicides increased by 51% for teen girls and 4% for teen boys since 2019. And yet, health insurance companies have faced scrutiny for denying mental health treatment claims at alarming rates. Even before a pandemic surge, a 2014 CBS 60 Minutes Sunday report revealed a claim denial rate of over 90% by Anthem.
