Opinion | Parents under pressure: Michigan must step up to support families
On August 28, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an urgent public health advisory about a crisis that has been simmering for far too long: parental stress. As parents grapple with the demands of raising children in today’s fast-paced, high-pressure world, they are breaking under the weight of exhaustion, isolation, and mental health struggles.
As both a parent and a perinatal psychiatrist with Michigan Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry Zero to Thrive program, I see this crisis every day. The parents who come to our clinics are not just tired; they are at the breaking point and their exhaustion is not a passing phase — it’s a public health emergency. The surgeon general’s advisory makes clear: Parental stress impacts entire families and communities.
But acknowledging the problem is not enough. For Michigan families, the answer must be a renewed commitment to supporting parents — because when parents thrive, so do their children.
Decades of research show that parental stress and subsequent mental health problems can negatively impact children, leading to increased anxiety, behavioral issues, and developmental delays. But we also know that with the right support, families can thrive.
Right here in Michigan, research done in my lab has proven that targeted interventions can make a profound difference. By combining mental health care, parenting education, and peer support, interventions like Mom Power or Fraternity of Fathers (FOF) groups help parents manage stress, foster resilience, and build stronger families. This evidence-based group program, along with state funded programs like the Michigan Clinical Consultation and Care (MC3) initiative, which connects families to mental health specialists, offer a comprehensive solution to Michigan’s parental stress crisis.
However, access to group-based mental health programs like Mom Power/FOF and individual psychotherapy for parents is inconsistent. While Medicaid and some commercial health plans cover individual components of programs like Mom Power/FOF, there is no explicit requirement for comprehensive coverage of specialized programs that integrate mental health care, parenting education, and peer support. This gap in standardized coverage means many families miss out on vital services.
Additionally, coverage for mental health prevention programs varies greatly depending on the insurance plan. This variability leads to inconsistencies in parental mental health services across regions, leaving some families without the necessary resources to manage parental stress.
Michigan policymakers must take bold steps to address these challenges:
- Standardize insurance coverage for comprehensive parental mental health programs like Mom Power, ensuring that all eligible women and men have access to integrated and holistic group support.
- Enhance provider awareness and training to ensure health-care professionals know how to access and utilize these services, including how to use appropriate billing codes for integrated care models.
- Allocate additional funding to expand evidence-based maternal mental health initiatives like Mom Power/FOF and the MC3 initiative, which connects families to mental health specialists.
- Implement mechanisms to support ongoing evaluation on the effectiveness of these programs. By collecting data on outcomes such as mental health improvements, parenting skills and the well-being of mothers, fathers, and children, we can ensure that these interventions deliver meaningful results over time.
In the words of the surgeon general, “The health of our nation’s families is at stake.” This isn’t hyperbole; it’s reality. If we fail to act, the costs will be staggering — not just for individual families but for our entire society. Parents are the foundation of strong, healthy communities, and their well-being is critical to the success of future generations.
The surgeon general’s report is a wake-up call. Let’s not hit the snooze button. Together, we can create a future where every Michigan family has the opportunity to thrive.
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