New legislation making its way through the Legislature proposes lowering to 13 years old the age at which teens in New Jersey can get mental health services without parental consent. The existing law caps the age at 16 years old, but bill sponsor Assemblyman Raj Mukherji (D-Hudson) says more students need access to care given the current crisis. According to a national study from the University of Virginia, kids experiencing suicidal thoughts or attempts rose more than 30% from 2019 to 2021.
Dr. Edward Selby, an associate professor at the Rutgers Department of Psychology and the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, says mental health apps on the Apple App Store or the Google Play App Store are usually developed by companies with minimal attention to psychological research and focus more on making money. He has launched a free app aimed at helping people to regulate their emotions in healthy ways.
Follow along with our mental health coverage during Mental Health Awareness Month and be sure to signup for a free virtual roundtable Tuesday, May 2 that will explore child psychology, teen suicide prevention and intervention, bullying and more.
1/ May is Mental Health Awareness Month.
— NJ Spotlight News (@NJSpotlightNews) May 1, 2023
Throughout this month, we’ll be placing a bigger focus on the issues surrounding mental health in New Jersey and what’s being done to address them. #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth pic.twitter.com/eIZxLRnvjv
