Formerly based in North Dakota, Wayne Macfadden, MD, is a Psychiatrist who brings more than three decades of experience to his position as the President of International Psychiatric Services. Wayne Macfadden, MD, has been a principal investigator and co-investigator in various pharmacological clinical trials during his career. One of these trials included a safety study of drugs for adolescents and children with mental health disorders. In a joint statement released on October 20, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Children's Hospital Association declared an emergency of worsening “child and adolescent mental health” that is intrinsically linked to the tension caused by COVID-19, as well as the continuous fight for racial justice. As a result of COVID-19, about 140,000 children in the United States have lost a primary or secondary caregiver. The impact on BIPOC children is disproportionately large. As suicide rates among children and adolescents increased, doctors report caring for young people with “soaring rates” of despair, anxiety, trauma, loneliness, and suicidality. Dr. Wayne Macfadden notes this emergency declaration emphasizes the need to watch out for early warning signs of mental health problems in children. The organizations are calling on legislators to come up with solutions that would strengthen early intervention efforts and increase funding for mental health resources.

1. Declaration of Mental Health Emergency among
Children in 2021
Wayne Macfadden

2. Introduction
Formerly based in North Dakota, Wayne Macfadden, MD, is a Psychiatrist who brings
more than three decades of experience to his position as the President of International
Psychiatric Services. Wayne Macfadden, MD, has been a principal investigator and co-
investigator in various pharmacological clinical trials during his career. One of these
trials included a safety study of drugs for adolescents and children with mental health
disorders.

3. In a joint statement released on October 20, the American Academy of Child and
Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Children's Hospital
Association declared an emergency of worsening “child and adolescent mental health”
that is intrinsically linked to the tension caused by COVID-19, as well as the continuous
fight for racial justice. As a result of COVID-19, about 140,000 children in the United
States have lost a primary or secondary caregiver. The impact on BIPOC children is
disproportionately large. As suicide rates among children and adolescents increased,
doctors report caring for young people with “soaring rates” of despair, anxiety, trauma,
loneliness, and suicidality.

4. Dr. Wayne Macfadden notes this emergency declaration emphasizes the need to watch
out for early warning signs of mental health problems in children. The organizations are
calling on legislators to come up with solutions that would strengthen early intervention
efforts and increase funding for mental health resources.