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The percentage of teens reporting sadness and hopelessness has increased over the past decade (from 28% in 2011 to 40% in 2023). Accurate information on youth mental health outcomes is critical for health improvement programs; however, accessing mental health data has been a barrier to studying this important topic. Many parents wish to protect their child’s records through the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and these protections are essential. As a result, researchers must rely on ethically collected, publicly available, and de‑identified data to study youth mental health trends. However, unearthing public data sources is not so simple.
Data accessibility researcher Hua Min tackled the challenge of navigating multiple datasets. Min developed a curated directory that centralizes publicly available data resources focused on youth mental health, addressing the fragmented state of current information sources. The directory compiles major national surveys conducted by organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the U.S. Census Bureau. Min’s research into the infrastructure of youth mental health data sources and subsequent creation of the curated repository found that:
Compiling youth mental health resources streamlines access, enhances research impact, and informs interventions and policies.
Youth mental health data is robust, but difficult to locate due to disorganization and privacy protections (e.g.,. HIPPA), barring researchers from viewing the most recent information.
The curated directory centralizes public datasets, enabling easier discovery, reuse, data analysis, and supports future research into the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning in youth mental health research.
Min’s research offers a first-of-its-kind collection of health datasets and provides a starting point for creating centralized directories not only for youth mental health information, but all research fields.
Directory of Public Datasets for Youth Mental Health to Enhance Research Through Data, Accessibility, and Artificial Intelligence: Scoping Review was published in September 2025 in JMIR Youth Mental Health.
About the Researcher
Hua Min is an associate professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy at George Mason University’s College of Public Health. Min’s research works at the intersection of health informatics, data integration, and health care, with a focus on youth mental health. Her work focuses on making health data more accessible, actionable, and research-ready, with particular interest in leveraging AI and machine learning to support evidence-based decision-making. Min is committed to building tools, frameworks, and knowledge systems that enable better mental health outcomes for young people.
Key Takeaways:
George Mason College of Public Health researcher Hua Min developed a curated directory that centralizes available data from major national surveys on youth mental health outcomes. It is available here.
Researchers will benefit from this centralized directory because publicly available data is critical to creating effective mental health programs for youth.
Prior to the development of this curated directory, navigating available youth mental health data was complex and could prevent researchers from accessing information.