The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released two reports that detail how the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been particularly taxing on children, teens and young adults, especially when it comes to mental health.
The CDC reports are titled Pediatric Emergency Department Visits Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Pediatric Emergency Department Visits Associated with Mental Health Conditions Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Both reports looked at how children's social interactions suffered due to not being able to go to school.
"Some New Mexico parents reported that their children suffered depression and even suicidal thoughts due to the COVID measures," Sarah Smith, one of the leaders for the New Mexico Freedoms Alliance and the National Coalition for Health Integrity, told the New Mexico Sun. "In some cases this has led to tragic outcomes, such as an 11-year-old New Mexican boy who killed himself as a result of school closures."
The CDC found significant evidence that the mental health of children suffered more during the pandemic compared with 2019, with more children ages 0-4 going to the emergency room for psychosocial problems with a rise of 38 weekly visits in 2021 and 55 weekly visits in January 2022. Hospital visits for neurodevelopmental disorders rose to 18 weekly visits in 2021 and 45 weekly visits in January 2022.
More children ages 5-11 went to the hospital for psychosocial problems compared with 2019, with a rise of 20 weekly visits in 2021 and 35 weekly visits in January 2022, the CDC reported. Self-harm-related visits rose to six weekly visits in 2021, and drug-poisoning visits rose to seven weekly visits in 2021.
Adolescents ages 12-17 faced the biggest surge of mental health fatigue, the CDC reported. Compared with 2019, hospital visits for self-harm rose to 30 weekly visits in 2020, 210 weekly visits in 2021 and 207 weekly visits in January 2022. Drug-poisoning hospital visits rose to 12 weekly visits in 2020, 171 weekly visits in 2021 and 178 weekly visits in January 2022. Visits relating to eating disorders rose to nine weekly visits in 2020, 41 weekly visits in 2021 and 38 weekly visits in January 2022.
In the same 12-17 age bracket, compared with 2019, hospital visits for psychosocial problems rose to 78 weekly visits in 2021 and 62 weekly visits in January 2022, the CDC reported. Hospital visits for mental health conditions (depression, eating disorders, OCD, anxiety, etc.) and drug use saw a rise of 113 weekly visits in 2021 and 197 weekly visits in January 2022.