A mental health checkup for children and adolescents, a year into COVID As a whole, this group experienced a significant short-term psychological toll. Though the long-term consequences aren’t yet known, particularly given how the year disproportionately exacerbated adverse childhood experiences, Penn experts remain cautiously optimistic.
A school year like no other is about to end. The weather is warming up. In many places across the United States, COVID case numbers have been dropping and continue to decrease, meaning camps and other summer outdoor activities can likely proceed.
Yet it’s been a long road, one that’s taken a significant psychological toll on children and adolescents in the short term. Emergency Departments (ED) are reporting more visits for mental health struggles, with admitted patients staying longer. Incidence of anxiety and depression have increased, exacerbated by the social isolation and loneliness induced by the requireme
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The end of the emergency phase of the pandemic is in sight in the United States, at least for now. But as the weight of the crisis is lifted, experts are also anticipating a long-term impact on people’s mental health.
For some people, the feelings of anxiety and depression that emerged during the pandemic will resolve as routines resume people go back to the office, social connections are reformed, the seeming danger of activities dissipates. But others will face new or worse mental health issues that persist or even appear down the road, a number that could be quite large given the magnitude of despair and disruption. That burden, however big, stands to put an even greater strain on an already stretched mental health system.
About JAMA Network Open: JAMA Network Open is the new online-only open access general medical journal from the JAMA Network. On weekdays, the journal publishes peer-reviewed clinical research and commentary in more than 40 medical and health subject areas. Every article is free online from the day of publication.
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More kids, teens, young adults visited ERs for mental health during pandemic
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Visits to hospital ERs for mental health problems among younger people increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study has found. Photo by Wokandapix/Pixabay
April 30 (UPI) Emergency room visits by younger people for mental health-related problems at one U.S. hospital increased by 50% in 2020, likely due in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic, a study published Friday by JAMA Network Open found.
More than half the children, teens and young adults who came to the the ER at Children s Hospital of Philadelphia seeking treatment for psychiatric health issues last year were admitted to the hospital for round-the-clock care, the data showed.