Good Day BIO: Mental health and America's kids

Back to work, back to school—and back to mental health challenges. Mental Health America has insights on the mental health of America’s kids, and resources to help. Plus, the White House is planning for a major food security summit—and we hope biotech is on the menu. (595 words, 2 minutes, 58 seconds)

Back to school – and back to mental health challenges

“Many students will exhibit symptoms of depression and anxiety as they return to the classroom,” says Mental Health America (MHA)—and with a pandemic, social media bullying, school shootings, and climate change fears added to the mix, children today face more mental health challenges than ever.

Youth mental health, by the numbers: During the first half of 2022, 82% (662,823) of U.S. under-18s who took a screening were at risk for a mental health condition. In June 2022, 56% (3,850) of U.S. 11-13-year-olds screened reported frequent suicidal ideation, “the highest rate of any age group,”. says a back-to-school toolkit from Mental Health America (MHA).

But catching problems early can make a difference, says MHA—which offers screening tools here.

Far beyond the normal challenges of growing up: COVID-19 increases anxiety and depression, and climate change exacerbates mental health problems for all age groups. Meanwhile, real-life concerns adults can’t seem to solve, including violence and racial strife, are worrying for youngsters, with pressure greater for students of color and Black, indigenous, and LGBTQ+ students, says MHA.

Here's how we can help: The pharmaceutical industry can do more to address serious mental illness, and policy changes can encourage developments, says the Center for the Evaluation of Value and Risk in Health of the Tufts Medical Center. They call for more government funding for research, extended exclusive periods for newly approved treatments, and more resources for mental health providers.

Get help:Click here to access MHA’s toolkit with resources for more help.

Gene editing a key ingredient of food security

Gene editing can help us deal with climate change and food insecurity, but we’ll say it again: we need policy support and consumer buy-in to get the technology to the market.

Food security’s on the menu—with the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health taking place on September 28 in Washington, D.C., the first conference of this kind in 50 years.

Biotech is key to the conference’s pillars, which include enhancing research, improving food access and affordability, and empowering consumer choices. (To ensure biotech is central to the conversation, you can submit ideas for the conference here.)

Why it matters: As BIO told Congress in July, we need to incentivize the adoption of innovative biotechnology tools to respond to the upcoming food crisis, which will be exacerbated by climate change.

We also need to build consumer confidence—something the Coalition for Responsible Gene Editing in Agriculture is doing with a framework designed to provide “assurance to the food system and other stakeholders” that gene editing of food is conducted “in the best interests of agriculture, the food system and society in general.” (BIO endorses the framework.)

Here’s why: Consumers buy the benefits of gene-edited foods when they are given more information, as we’ve reported. The FDA joined the effort with its “Feed Your Mind” initiative.

Dr. Michelle’s Diagnosis: “Agriculture and science are moving rapidly to meet food demand and adapt to a changing climate,” BIO President and CEO Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath wrote recently. “We need practical, workable government regulations, both in the U.S. and abroad, to strengthen food security through innovation.”

President Biden’s Wednesday: Hosting President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama for the unveiling of their official White House portraits, uniting two presidents with different styles, according to The Washington Post.

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: The Senate Finance Committee is expected to vote on Douglas McKalip’s nomination to be the chief agricultural negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. A Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing covers four bills, including one on EPA regulations regarding emissions from livestock.