Alaska Senate Weighs Lowering Mental Health Treatment Consent Age
Anchorage, Alaska – The Alaska Senate is poised to vote on a bill that would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to seek therapy without parental permission, in a bid to address the surge in mental health problems among young Alaskans.
The legislation, Senate Bill 240, introduced by Governor Mike Dunleavy and amended by Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel, has drawn support from mental health organizations and students who have testified about the challenges they face in accessing care.
According to a 2021 national survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 42% of high school students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, nearly double the figure from a decade prior. More than one in five students reported considering suicide.
Senator Giessel, a nurse practitioner who volunteers in school-based clinics, emphasized the urgent need for this measure, citing the numerous students she has encountered who are struggling with mental health issues but are hesitant to seek help due to the requirement for parental consent.
“It is astonishing to me the things that our young people today are having to deal with,” Giessel said.
However, not everyone supports lowering the age for independent mental health treatment. The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District School Board passed a resolution opposing the bill, citing concerns about setting a precedent for offering services without parental approval.
Senator Mike Shower, a Republican from Wasilla, echoed these concerns, emphasizing the importance of family involvement in the decision-making process.
Giessel’s amendment includes safeguards to ensure some parental involvement, requiring mental health professionals to contact the teenager’s parents and offer family services unless it would be harmful to the teenager. The bill also prohibits medication without parental approval and applies only to outpatient care, not hospital treatment.
Despite these provisions, some critics remain opposed to the bill. Senator Shelley Hughes, a Republican from Palmer, proposed an alternative version without Giessel’s amendment, but it was voted down.
The bill’s fate now rests with the full Senate, which is expected to hold a final vote on Wednesday. If passed, it will proceed to the House for further consideration.
While Senate Bill 240 focuses on expanding access to therapy, it does not address the issue of how to pay for the services. The bill initially included a provision to allow school districts to bill Medicaid for treating eligible students, but the state Department of Health expressed doubts about the legality of this practice.
Despite these uncertainties, the bill represents a significant step towards addressing the mental health crisis among young Alaskans, providing them with greater autonomy in seeking the help they need.
