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In 2020 and 2021, firearms contributed to the deaths of more children ages 1-17 years in the U.S. than any other type of injury or illness. The child firearm mortality rate has doubled in the U.S. from a recent low of 1.8 deaths per 100,000 in 2013 to 3.7 in 2021. The United States has by far the highest rate of child and teen firearm mortality among peer nations. In no other similarly large, wealthy country are firearms in the top four causes of death for children and teens, let alone the number one cause. U.S. states with the most gun laws have lower rates of child and teen firearm deaths than states with few gun laws. But, even states with the lowest child and teen firearm deaths have rates much higher than what peer countries experience. In 2020 and 2021, firearms were involved in the deaths of more children ages 1-17 than any other type of injury or illness, surpassing deaths due to motor vehicles, which had long been the number one factor in child deaths. In 2021, there were 2,571 child deaths due to firearms—a rate of 3.7 deaths per 100,000 children, which is an increase of 68% in the number of deaths since 2000 and 107% since a recent low of 2013. While the rate of firearm deaths among children has increased since 2000, the rate of motor vehicle deaths is now significantly lower than it had been. The number of motor vehicle deaths among children in 2021 was 49% lower than in 2000, though it did grow during the pandemic by 22% from 2019. Though fewer in number than firearm deaths among children, deaths due to poisonings, which include drug overdoses, have also grown, increasing 186% since 2000 and 103% since 2019. Provisional CDC data from 2022 indicate that firearms continued to be the number one factor in child deaths for the third year in a row. Because peer countries’ mortality data are not available for children ages 1-17 years old alone, we group firearm mortality data for teens ages 18 and 19 years old with data for children ages 1-17 years old in all countries for a direct comparison. On a per capita basis, the firearm death rate among children and teens (ages 1-19) in the U.S. is over 9.5 times the firearm death rate of Canadian children and teens (ages 1-19). Canada is the country with the second-highest child and teen firearm death rate among similarly large and wealthy nations. As might be expected, teenagers have higher firearm mortality rates than children. In the U.S., teens ages 18 and 19 have a firearm mortality rate of 25.2 per 100,000, compared to a rate of 3.7 per 100,000 for children ages 1-17 in the U.S. Even so, the child firearm mortality rate in the U.S. (3.7 per 100,000 people ages 1-17) is 5.5 times the child and teen mortality rate in Canada (0.6 per 100,000 people ages 1-19). If the child and teen firearm mortality rate in the U.S. had been brought down to rates seen in Canada, we estimate that approximately 30,000 children’s and teenagers’ lives in the U.S. would have been saved since 2010 (an average of about 2,500 lives per year). This would have reduced the total number of child and teenage deaths from all causes in the U.S. by 13%. The child and teen (ages 1-19 years) firearm mortality rate varies by state in the U.S. from 2.1 deaths per 100,000 in New York and New Jersey to 17.6 deaths per 100,000 in Louisiana. Even in New York and New Jersey, which have the lowest child and teen firearm mortality rates among those with available data, the rate is still over three times that in Canada. Because there is no comprehensive national firearm registry, it is difficult to track gun ownership in the U.S. Instead, we look at the correlation between the number of child and teen firearm deaths and the number of gun laws in U.S. states (based on the State Firearm Law Database, which is a catalog of the presence or absence of 134 firearm law provisions across all 50 states). States with more restrictive firearm laws in the U.S. generally have fewer child and teen firearm deaths than states with fewer firearm law provisions. Even so, these states on average have a much higher rate of child and teen firearm deaths than that of Canada and other countries. Among comparably large and wealthy countries, Canada has the second highest child and teen firearm death rate to the U.S. However, Canada generally has more restrictive firearm laws and regulates access to guns at the federal level. In the U.S., guns may be brought to states with strict laws from out-of-state or unregistered sources. Source: Kaiser Family Foundation

In recent years, many people have experienced poor mental health, with over 30% of adults in the United States reporting symptoms of anxiety and/or depression in February 2023. Substance use and death rates due to substances have also worsened in the U.S. – drug overdose death rates increased by 50% from 2019 to 2021 (21.6 vs. 32.4 per 100,000), primarily driven by fentanyl. Further, after a brief period of decline, suicide death rates increased in 2021 but remained just below the peak death rate in 2018 (14.1 vs. 14.2 per 100,000). Increases in drug overdose deaths and suicide deaths have disproportionately affected many people of color. Negative mental health and substance use outcomes have also affected youth and young adults. This increase in mental health and substance use issues comes at a time when resources are already strained, and people with mental health diagnoses often face barriers to care. Among adults with symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder in 2022, over 20% report needing, but not receiving, mental health counseling or therapy. In the state fact sheets below, we examine state and national-level data on mental health and substance use. We find that mental health and substance use outcomes and coverage vary from state to state. Share of Adults With Symptoms of Anxiety and/or Depression, February 1 – 13, 2023 Source: Kaiser Family Foundation

Mental Health in America - is this country in a crisis? The research is staggering as 90% American adults think that there is a mental health crisis in this country, particularly about young children and teenagers, as suicide rates continue to escalate. It is an ongoing trend that the age of onset of mental continues to rise as young children/teenagers have increasingly reports symptoms of anxiety and depression. On factor that influence this lack of intervention in cost of health care particularly among the vulnerable population, with limited resources and access to care. 80% of adult americans say that the cost of mental health care is a big problem in the US, compared to other countries such as Europe (which has the NHS - which tends to have its own limitations as it sometimes tends to take 2-3 months to see a medical doctor, let alone a child or adult psychiatrist. Approximately 51% of adults report that a family member has experienced a severe mental health crisis. Often limited to Federally Qualified Health Centers, Rural Health Clinics, Community Mental Health Centers, it can take months to get an appointments. Covid-19 had a strong impact on mental health in the US due to isolation and limited access to care. 47% of parents say that Covid-19 pandenmic has had a negative impact on their children's mental health. If you are in the crisis, please contact 988 (suicide/crisis hotline). Active suicidal thoughts, thoughts of self/harm, fearful for your safety? I have provided a extensive list of resources for State of Missouri: Federally Qualified Health Centers, Rural Health Clinics, Community Mental Health Centers