America’s children’s mental health crisis has worsened during the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to two new studies released Friday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
These studies looked at pediatric emergency department visits from 2019 to January 2022.
The first showed that COVID-19-related visits increased in each of the pandemic years and across all pediatric age categories.
There has also been an increase in the weekly number and proportion of emergency room visits for certain types of injuries, certain chronic conditions and behavioral health problems, particularly among children aged 5 to 17 years.
The other study showed that adolescent girls may have experienced the greatest overall increase in distressing situations. During the pandemic, the proportion of emergency room visits for eating disorders doubled and tic disorders more than tripled in this group.
Teenage girls also visited the emergency room more often and for a growing range of mental health issues. According to the CDC, these disorders may be triggered by pandemic-related risk factors and compounded by pandemic-related reduced access to mental health care.
The CDC recommends increased awareness of child and adolescent health issues that may arise due to a delay in medical care and increased emotional distress.
