Parents Are So Stressed that It's Become a 'Serious Public Health Concern', Surgeon General Says

Mar. 15, 2025

Stock image of a stressed-out parent.Photo:Getty

Getty

The U.S. Surgeon General has issued anadvisoryon the wellbeing of parents, saying “addressingparental mental healthconditions, and importantly the underlying stressors and causes, is critical for the well-being of children and society.”

Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, a father of two, also penned an opinion piece for theNew York Timeson his own experiences with parental stress, sharing, “The joys are indeed abundant, but as fulfilling as parenting has been, the truth is it has also been more stressful than any job I’ve had.”

“I’ve had many moments of feeling lost and exhausted,” Murthy wrote.

Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General.Valerie Plesch/Getty

Valerie Plesch/Getty

That’s why he said he issued the advisory, in which he calls for “a national paid family and medical leave program and ensure all workers have paid sick time.”

The advisory also addresses a need to ensure that “parents and caregivers have access to comprehensive and affordable high-quality mental health care.”

Stock image of a mom holding her child’s hand.Getty

The study also noted that 62% of parents say “no one understands how stressed out they are.”

He called parenting a “team sport,” writing that support for parents is essential.

“Raising children is never going to be without worry,” he wrote in his opinion piece, but  “reorienting our priorities in order to give parents and caregivers the support they need would do a lot to ensure the balance skews toward joy.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

source: people.com