Report finds Utah needs more early‐childhood MH services

While Utah has increasingly focused its attention on the teen mental health crisis, younger children also face a shortage of resources that could prevent long‐term emotional and physical health problems, according to a new study, the Deseret News reported Oct. 5. National estimates show between 10% and 20% of Utah children through age 8 could experience mental, emotional, developmental or behavioral challenges, Samantha Ball, senior research associate with the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, said as she presented key findings from the institute's soon‐to‐be‐released study during the inaugural Summit on Children's Mental Health. “Utah also has among the highest prevalence of youth mental health disorders and those who are not receiving care in the nation,” she noted. There's also limited access to mental health providers, who are “unevenly distributed” in Utah, Ball noted. Other barriers are cost, transportation, waiting lists and a limited number of bilingual and multicultural mental health professionals. Some therapists also don't feel comfortable treating children age 4 and younger. The report calls for collection of data on early‐childhood mental health services, the number of children receiving services and school‐based mental health services.