Teen’s Chilling Mental-Health Warning Spurs Senators’ Vow to Act

The Senate witness detailed his harrowing experiences volunteering for a mental-health crisis line, where he fields calls from desperate adolescents who describe suicidal thoughts, domestic violence and an inability to afford professional treatment.

This was no ordinary volunteer, but 17-year-old Trace Terrell, who listens to his peers on a teen-to-teen help line in his home state of Oregon. “If a teen feels like the only way they can express their feelings is through the barrel of a gun, what does that say about the state of our mental health care?” the teen asked senators.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Finance is asking the same question as ...