New York Times on the teen mental health crisis
Rates of anxiety and depression in adolescents have been rising for years. Millions of Americans with mental health problems are not getting the treatment they need for myriad reasons. Many families can’t afford it. And many young people also don’t know where to turn for help.
The UJA-Federation of New York, an organization created in 1917 to provide Jewish New Yorkers with economic and social support, is trying to fill the coverage gap for young adults of all backgrounds. The organization helps them get care from its network of mental health professionals through educational outreach at schools, community centers and even coffee shops. This kind of localized approach has long been recommended by experts because it has been shown to reach people who might not otherwise seek treatment or support.
“Since UJA was founded — and that’s now well over 100 years ago — we have focused on critical issues facing New Yorkers in need,” said Alex Roth-Kahn, a managing director at the organization. That mission has led to decades of supporting people with mental health challenges.
Just this year, Marcellus Williams was executed in Missouri for a 1998 murder, even though the prosecuting attorney in St. Louis County filed a motion to vacate his death sentence because DNA testing of the murder weapon ruled him out. And in Texas, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is fighting the death sentence of Robert Robertson, convicted in the death of his 2-year-old, who prosecutors said died of shaken baby syndrome — though Robertson’s lawyers have cited medical and forensic experts who concluded she likely died from undiagnosed pneumonia.
Mr. Biden’s intervention this week is a nod to the flaws of the death penalty, but also a need for a system that claims human dignity and equal application of the law as its driving values. State and federal lawmakers should finish the job by abolishing the practice.