The Morgan Stanley Foundation has announced the launch of an initiative to address the growing problem of anxiety and depression in young people.
The Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children’s Mental Health will provide key nonprofit partners with funding and other resources needed to raise awareness of and reduce stigma associated with anxiety and depression in young people. To that end, the initiative will work to provide students with resources during formative transitions and equip parents with the tools to identify and support the mental health needs of their children. Inaugural alliance partners include the Child Mind Institute, the Jed Foundation, and NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital in New York City; the Steve Fund in Rhode Island; Mind HK in Hong Kong; Place2Be in London; and the Glasgow-based Scottish Association of Mental Health.
According to the foundation, seventeen million of the more than seventy-four million young people in the United States have struggled with a mental health issue, while among children experiencing poverty who need mental health care it is estimated that fewer than 15 percent receive needed services and even fewer complete treatment.
“Childhood and adolescence are meant to be times for growth, learning, exploration, and play,” Morgan Stanley Foundation president Joan Steinberg wrote in a blog post. “Yet, for an increasing number of young people, the struggle with anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges robs them of those opportunities and poses an urgent and often overlooked threat to their well-being. The problem is incredibly complex, and there is no single answer. But clearly, as a society, we need to make it a priority to reverse this trend and to provide all kids with the proper tools and resources required not only to survive but to thrive and flourish.”
Source:PND
