The "Youth Mental Health Research Act" establishes a NIH initiative to promote collaborative research to improve youth mental health.
Amy Klobuchar
Senator
MN
The "Youth Mental Health Research Act" directs the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish a Youth Mental Health Research Initiative. This initiative will encourage collaborative research to improve youth mental health outcomes. The initiative will be led by the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, and will promote social, behavioral, cognitive, and developmental research. The act authorizes $100 million in appropriations each fiscal year from 2025 through 2030 to fund the initiative.
New Bill Proposes $100M Annually for Youth Mental Health Research Initiative at NIH Starting 2025
This bill, the "Youth Mental Health Research Act," directs the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to set up a dedicated Youth Mental Health Research Initiative. Kicking off, if passed, with the fiscal year 2025, the plan is to funnel $100 million per year through 2030 specifically into this effort. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) would take the lead, collaborating with other NIH branches.
Focusing the Research Lens
The core idea here is to boost collaborative research focused squarely on young people's mental health. We're talking about digging into the social, behavioral, cognitive, and developmental factors that affect kids and teens. The stated goals in Section 2 are pretty clear: figure out how to build resilience in youth and improve how mental health support and interventions are actually delivered – whether that's in schools, clinics, or community settings. Essentially, it's about investing significant resources to better understand the challenges and find more effective ways to help young people navigate them.