Mental Health, Neurodevelopmental Diagnoses in Publicly Insured Children on the Rise

WEDNESDAY, April 30, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The percentage of publicly insured children receiving any mental health or neurodevelopmental disorder diagnosis significantly increased between 2010 and 2019, according to a study published online April 24 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Janet R. Cummings, Ph.D., from the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta, and colleagues estimated changes in the percentage of publicly insured children with mental health and/or neurodevelopmental disorder diagnoses. The analysis included administrative claims data (2010 to 2019) from 22 states for 29.9 million publicly insured children aged 3 to 17 years.

The researchers found that the percentage of publicly insured children with any diagnosed mental health or neurodevelopmental disorder increased from 10.7 percent in 2010 to 16.5 percent in 2019, with this trend remaining significant after adjusting for covariates (adjusted risk difference [aRD], 6.7 percentage points). For nine of the 13 diagnostic categories examined, statistically significant increases were seen, with the largest absolute increases seen for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (aRD, 2.3 percentage points), trauma- and stressor-related disorders (aRD, 1.7 percentage points), anxiety disorders (aRD, 1.6 percentage points), autism spectrum disorders (aRD, 1.1 percentage points), depressive disorders (aRD, 0.9 percentage points), and other neurodevelopmental disorders (aRD, 2.6 percentage points).

“These findings highlight the need for access to appropriate services in safety net systems and other settings that serve this population,” the authors write.

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