Youth Mental Health Improved When Schools Reopened, Study Finds NYT | Top Stories By: Ellen Barry 9 December 2025 at 05:00 With the end of school shutdowns, children’s mental health appointments fell sharply, though other factors may have contributed. © Anna Watts for The New York TimesNine months after schools reopened, the probability that a child would be treated for a mental health condition was reduced by 43 percent, from 2.8 percent during the shutdown period, a study published Monday found.