It’s time to address the children’s mental health pandemic
We are in a time of societal crisis that is strongly affecting our children and families. The degree of pathology child and adolescent psychiatrists are seeing at all levels of care demands immediate attention to protect our children. The American Psychiatric Association, and its member psychiatrists together with the larger child and mental health community, are sounding the alarm for our kids’ mental health.
The worsening of youth mental health appears to be correlated to the detrimental impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Since the onset of the pandemic, suspected suicide attempts among adolescent girls are up more than 50%, emergency room visits among young children (aged 5-11 years old) have increased 24%, and emergency room visits among teenagers are up 31%. These changes are possibly related to poor coping skills to mitigate COVID-19 related stressors and the disruption of daily life routine. However, the U.S. health care system is poorly prepared to address the increase in mental health demands and the severity of cases.
Furthermore, minority youths face additional stressors as underrepresented communities have experienced worsened health care outcomes as evidenced by disproportionate COVID-19 infection rates, mortality and economic downturns.
The disproportionate harm of the COVID-19 pandemic to minority and vulnerable populations such as refugees and immigrants, including high mortality and economic devastation, has contributed to escalating depression, anxiety, suicidality, and traumatic loss for many youths. These outcomes highlight the underlying impact on children, adolescents, and families of health care inequity and the pandemic. It also stresses the need for more health care resources and federal funding for children and their families, especially in underserved communities.
We can take action to address this pandemic in a number of ways, including: to resources;
Supporting and advancing the integration n of mental health care among primary care and pediatrics through collaborative and integrative care models;
Supporting ongoing efforts to n address suicide crisis and safety measures among children and adolescents; and
Supporting increased recruitment n into psychiatry residencies and child and adolescent training.
The American Psychiatric Association has endorsed a joint statement urging all policymakers to make necessary and needed changes to support children’s access to mental health care and services, and joined Sound the Alarm for Kids to help raise awareness about the mental health emergency in children and adolescents.
We’re in a moment of emergency for the nation’s children, and we call on policymakers at all levels of the government to act now to ensure that screening and treatment are available to everyone. It is critical that we address this crisis before it becomes a full-fledged calamity.