Opinion | Gov. Phil Murphy has a plan for improving youth mental health

7 min

As we have noted here before, governors across the country are putting the youth mental health crisis at the top of their agendas. Now, one of them has pulled together ideas for what they can do about it. As chairman of the National Governors Association, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) convened listening sessions in Salt Lake City, Detroit, Philadelphia and Los Angeles to hear from hundreds of experts and state officials about programs showing promise. His team, collaborating with the Boston Consulting Group, prepared a playbook with 35 nonpartisan policy recommendations, which he plans to share with fellow governors at their summer meeting next week in Atlantic City.

Mr. Murphy gave us a first look at the report. It contains good ideas that some states are trying and that we hope will catch on further:

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Prioritize early screening and interventions

Many mental health challenges can be traced to a child’s formative years, from infancy to adolescence. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 16 percent of children ages 2 through 8 have been diagnosed with a mental, behavioral or developmental disorder. About half of all mental health conditions begin before age 14, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Most of it goes untreated until adulthood. This is why the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening for anxiety from age 8 and for depressive disorders or suicide risk from age 12.