Iowa launches MH, suicide prevention campaign for children

Abstract

Iowa state officials have launched a new ad campaign targeted at child mental health and suicide prevention, as they say the state is seeing an increase of younger children in crisis, Iowa Public Radio reported May 10. The campaign targets both adults and children and will run on social media platforms as well as more traditional media platforms, such as TV and streaming video services. The ads urge kids who are struggling to seek help and encourage adults to reach out to kids who seem down or have symptoms of depression. It directs them to the state health department's Your Life Iowa program, which has resources for mental health support. Kelly Garcia, director of the Iowa Department of Human Services, said part of the state's campaign aims to provide direction and resources to parents who may not know how to address mental health with their children. She said the state also is working on ways to recruit more mental health providers, as Iowa has long faced a shortage of mental health specialists specifically for children. But she said there are still options for parents seeking help for their children, such as services through schools, the state's mental health and disability services regions, and telehealth.