Kids With Mental Disorders Surge as Pandemic Topples Support Systems
Stabilizing social connections and support systems have disappeared, leaving parents and children in crisis
A bag of Doritos, that’s all Princess wanted.
Her mom calls her Princess, but her real name is Lindsey. She’s 17 and lives with her mom, Sandra, a nurse, near Atlanta. On May 17, 2020, Lindsey decided she didn’t want breakfast; she wanted Doritos. So she left home and walked to the Family Dollar store, taking her pants off along the way, while her mom followed on foot, talking to the police on her phone as they went.
Many children with serious emotional or behavioral difficulties depend on schools for vital therapies. When schools and doctors stopped providing in-person services, kids became untethered.
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Sandra s 17-year-old daughter, Lindsey, has autism. Lindsey thrives on routine, and got special help at school until the coronavirus pandemic cut her off from the trained teachers and therapists she d come to rely on. (Audra Melton for NPR)
A bag of Doritos, that’s all Princess wanted.
Her mom calls her Princess, but her real name is Lindsey. She’s 17 and lives with her mom, Sandra, a nurse, outside of Atlanta. On May 17, 2020, a Sunday, Lindsey decided she didn’t want breakfast; she wanted Doritos. So she left home and walked to Family Dollar, taking her pants off on the way, while her mom followed on the phone with police.
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Sandra s 17-year-old daughter, Lindsey, has autism. Lindsey thrives on routine, and got special help at school until the coronavirus pandemic cut her off from the trained teachers and therapists she d come to rely on.
A bag of Doritos, that s all Princess wanted.
Her mom calls her Princess, but her real name is Lindsey. She s 17 and lives with her mom, Sandra, a nurse, outside of Atlanta. On May 17, 2020, a Sunday, Lindsey decided she didn t want breakfast; she wanted Doritos. So she left home and walked to Family Dollar, taking her pants off on the way, while her mom followed on the phone with police.
A bag of Doritos, that's all Princess wanted. Her mom calls her Princess, but her real name is Lindsey. She's 17 and lives with her mom, Sandra,