| Parents, me included, are not doing well. An example: I have a 3-year-old son. Here's a peek at the questions I can't get out of my mind as I write this newsletter. Did the day care tuition increase go into effect already? His classroom is closer to the school's front door now — is there a plan for intruders? Will New Jersey Transit ruin my day and make me late for pickup again? Exactly how many days in a row can a person eat chicken nuggets? (That last one is for us both.) I'm not the only one struggling. Last week, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released an advisory on the mental health and well-being of parents. It wasn't good. Roughly a third reported high levels of stress last year, compared to 20% of other adults. For the last decade, moms and dads were more likely to report being very stressed than their childfree counterparts. In the 36-page document, America's doctor cites a laundry list of concerns contributing to the strain, including financial pressure, increasing work demands, social media concerns and school shooting fears. "It almost reads as a transcript from so many of my patients, to be honest," Pooja Lakshmin, a board-certified psychiatrist specializing in women's health and clinical assistant professor at George Washington University School of Medicine, told me over the phone. For parents struggling and unable to access mental health care in person, she points to free virtual support groups like those from Postpartum Support International. Agitating for change on a broader level could also help with feelings of helplessness and create community, says Lakshmin, who is also a co-founder of Chamber of Mothers, which advocates for affordable child care, maternal health and paid family leave. The Surgeon General's report says local and national governments should make big changes to the support systems — or lack thereof — for caregivers in the US. Paid family and medical leave, which isn't guaranteed in the US, would give parents breathing room when they welcome a new child. Financial assistance for child care, one of the biggest costs for parents, would ease economic pressures. And strengthening public and private insurance coverage for mental health care could allow caregivers to get treatment when they're distressed. Acknowledgement of the strain parents are under — something typically relegated to group chats or TikTok algorithms — is validating. But actual solutions need to come faster, says Sipra Laddha, a board-certified physician and psychiatrist in Atlanta, who says she often sees stress compounded by shame and loneliness in new parents. "How do we accelerate this process?" Laddha says. "Because the way that this country has evolved around mental health, we are in the Dark Ages." — Kelsey Butler | 
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