The pandemic is creating havoc with the mental health of children. In the year of the worldwide pandemic, the CDC reports that mental health-related emergency room visits in the U.S. increased 31% for children between the ages of 12 and 17 from March to October, compared to the same period in 2019.
In addition, there was a 24% increase ER visits for children between the ages of 5 and 11. The CDC analyzed hospital data from 47 states that comprised about 75% of ER visits. One in 85 pediatric visits were mental health-related from March to October in 2019, compared to one in 60 in 2020.
The increase comes on the heels of reduced and canceled school schedules and limited sports and extracurricular activities. Without social interaction of school and extracurricular activities with classmates, coaches and teachers, children could become isolated at home and experience anxiety, depression, lack of sleep and bad eating habits, the report said.
Researchers did note that reduced access to schools and community clinics may have left parents and children increasingly reliant on emergency rooms for those services. The CDC also noted that the number of ER visits was higher among girls than boys.
Source: The Hill November 12, 2020