Pediatricians are at the forefront of the Mental Health Crisis


How did Matt Richtel talk to adolescents and their families for this series?

In mid-April, I was speaking to the mother of a suicidal teenager whose struggles I follow closely. I asked how her daughter was.

It’s not good, the mother said: “If we don’t find something drastic to help this kid, this kid won’t be here for long.” She started crying. “It’s out of our hands, it’s out of our control,” she said. “We’re trying everything.”

“It’s like waiting for the end,” he added.

Over the course of nearly 18 months, I have known many adolescents and their families, and interviewed dozens of doctors, therapists, and specialists in the field of adolescence. I’ve heard heartbreaking stories about pain and uncertainty. From the beginning, my editors and I discussed how best to deal with the identities of people in crisis.

The Times sets a high bar for anonymity to sources; our stylebook calls it a “last resort” for situations where important information cannot be published in any other way. Resources often face a threat to their careers and even their safety, whether from a vengeful boss or a hostile government.

In this case, the need for anonymity had a different imperative: protecting the privacy of young, vulnerable adolescents. They harmed themselves and attempted suicide, and some threatened to try again. While telling their stories, we had to remember that our first duty was their safety.

If The Times had published the names of these adolescents, they would have been easily identified years later. Will this hurt their employment opportunities? Would a teenager – a minor – later regret revealing his identity during a time of pain and struggle? Does seeing the published story amplify ongoing crises?

As a result, some teenagers are identified only by their initials; some of their parents are identified by their name or initials. Within months, I got to know M, J, and C, and met struggling adolescents in Kentucky, whom I identify as only 12, 13, and 15 years old. In some stories, we did not publish exactly where the families lived.

Everyone I interviewed gave their own consent, and parents were often present in interviews with their adolescents. Several times, a parent offered to leave the room or a teenager asked for privacy and the parent agreed.

I have heard grief, confusion, and a desperate search for an answer in these articles. The voices of adolescents and their parents, while protected by anonymity, deepen understanding of this mental health crisis.



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