Mental health challenges among children and teenagers have hit a nationwide crisis. That’s according to a recent declaration of national emergency by the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA), the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) – three major medical organizations that jointly represent well over 200 children’s hospitals and 77,000 physicians nationwide.
In the declaration, the CHA, AACAP, and AAP collectively called on lawmakers and policymakers at all government levels to join them and promptly tackle the ever-increasing child and teenage mental health crisis in the US.
The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the mental health crisis among teenagers
The coronavirus pandemic has hurt mental health across the board. Still, according to the New York Times, children and youth bear the biggest brunt. However, this is particularly true as children and adolescents struggle with ongoing grief, stress, and uncertainty, not to mention the physical isolation during the onset of the pandemic.
The data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during the pandemic is quite alarming. It shows that children ages 12 to 17 visiting ER because of mental health emergencies rose by a whopping 31% between the onset of the pandemic and October 2020. The CDC also noted a 24% rise in such visits for kids ages 5 to 11.
Mental health in children in Chicago and across the nation is not only suffering almost out of sight. Teenagers, in particular, faced so much throughout the pandemic. As a result, they endure a lot mentally even though many states have “returned to normalcy.” While most healthcare providers and stakeholders focus much on the pandemic’s physical health effects, we cannot ignore a teenager’s mounting mental health crisis.
Even before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, teenage mental health challenges were gaining some attention. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic has only pushed these mental health challenges facing teens to a crisis level. So it’s no wonder advocates of young people say swift action is needed now.
The national emergency declaration by the CHA, AACAP, and AAP marks the first discussion of children’s mental health crises on a nationwide platform. It’s an urgent call to all stakeholders, particularly policymakers at every level of government, to see the situation through an emergency lens.
The unequal impact of the teenage mental health crisis on Latinos and people of color
Clinical psychologists at the Center for Childhood Resilience at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago have noted that the facility has experienced a dramatic jump in the number of parents coming to seek mental health treatments for their kids.
The demand for children’s mental health services at the hospital has become so high that the waiting list has ballooned to the point of concern.” For teens looking to get care in person, they visit mental health franchises like Geode Health, which provide services around the country.
The specialists acknowledged the pandemic’s role in fueling the youth’s mental health challenges. They noted that most children seeking treatment were missing friends, experiencing grief, or facing isolation.
Even so, the pandemic-induced mental health challenges have disproportionately affected children and adolescents from minority communities. After all, data from the Chicago Department of Public Health indicates that Latinos and African Americans in Chicago accounted for 29.7% and 42.1% of coronavirus-related deaths. Meanwhile, only 23% of Covid-19 reported deaths were Caucasians.
Off this background, it’s evident that grief significantly contributes to the mental health challenges faced by Latino and black teenagers. After all, losing a loved one can be traumatic and affect a child’s mental health.
Policymakers and other stakeholders must discuss the teenage mental health crisis and ways of helping them cope with the impact of racial injustice and community violence among minority groups.
Moving up a gear is the way to go.
According to experts, access to youth mental health isn’t up to par, especially in minority-heavy, big cities and metropolises like Chicago, New York, and Detroit. They recommend making high-quality mental health services available within places of worship, community centers, and school buildings.
For instance, schools can set up trauma-driven strategies that should focus on teaching teens how to express their emotions responsibly. These programs should also focus on students’ emotional safety and robust relationships with their peers and teachers.
Conclusion
Medical organizations and children’s hospitals have made one step forward by declaring teenage and children’s mental health crises a national emergency. In the declaration, the AAP, AACAP, and CHA emphasized the unequal toll the situation has had on youth from minority groups. They also note the inextricable link between current racial injustices and the escalating youth mental health crisis.
