Mental Health Challenges among Children and Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic

In June, 2021, The Kaiser Family Foundation reported that many children and teens have been experiencing a significant increase in mental health challenges and that children of color, LGBTQ+ young people and younger children have been particularly impacted. (1)

The report posits that there may be a number of contributing factors, including, but not limited to:

• • Stay-at-home orders and remote learning,
  • Social distancing, and
  • Stresses in the home environment.

Likewise, parents have been struggling as well as a result of financial and food insecurity, job uncertainty and child care.

The brief indicates that “…before the onset of the pandemic, researchers documented a rise in recent years of poor mental health outcomes among adolescents, including persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness or suicidal thoughts.”  These included depression and anxiety as well as the fact that suicide was the second leading cause of death among teens, aged 12 – 17.  Nearly 19% of those kids expressed serious thoughts of suicide in 2019, an increase from 14% in 2009.

As a gay man who experienced depression and isolation during my adolescence, I am very aware of the challenges many of these children experience.

Fortunately, today, while the stigma associated with both gender/sexuality and mental health has decreased significantly, many parents still struggle a great deal with how to find the right care for their children.  Often, the first contact they may have is with their child’s pediatrician and those providers are both ill-equipped to address their needs, as well as lacking in knowledge about resources.  This is particularly the case if they child has any unique needs that qualified providers provide, including issues re: developmental concerns, gender identity and among those children struggling with complicated challenges.  These may involve the need for facility-based care, medication and active family involvement.

I am committed to providing support for these parents during these difficult periods.  This includes a comprehensive assessment and history of prior attempts at accessing care, identifying resources and providers and a tailored plan to helping the parents and their children getting the right care that they need.

Feel free to contact me at 860.916.5816 (mobile) or at tim@timothyblevins.com for a free consultation.

 

1. 1. JAMA Health Forum, 2021;2(6)e211701. doi:10.1001/jamahealthform.2021.1701