History of Minor Consent Laws for Mental Health Treatment in the US

How have minor consent laws for mental health care in the US changed from 1950 to 2024?In this legal epidemiological study of all 50 states and Washington, DC, from 1950 to 2019, an increasing number of states enacted laws that allowed minors to consent to mental health care without parent/guardian involvement. More recently, several states have reversed this trend and revoked the capacity for minors to independently consent.The study results suggest that research that assesses the effects of these laws (and their revocation) on clinical practice, access to care, and mental health outcomes for minors is needed to inform practice and policies that increase access to mental health care for minors in the US.

Corresponding Author: Kimberly M. Nelson, PhD, MPH, Boston University School of Public Health, 801 Massachusetts Ave, 4th Floor, Boston, MA 02118 (knel@bu.edu).

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