While children have largely been spared the most serious physical results of COVID-19, the toll that the pandemic is taking on the mental health of young people is another story.
Children and adolescents in BC account for less than one in five cases of COVID-19 and less than two percent of hospital admissions.
But a recent study from the University of Calgary that analyzed data from more than 80,000 young people around the world found that symptoms of depression and anxiety have doubled in children and adolescents compared to before the pandemic.
It’s a trend doctors at BC Children’s Hospital say they’ve seen as well.
The hospital’s emergency department has reported an 11 percent increase in youth arrivals for mental health treatment since the start of the pandemic.
Dr. Ashley Miller, who works as a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the hospital, said that young people with existing depression or anxiety or who are affected by differences in neurological development seem to have had more problems with periods of greater restrictions.
But he said all young people, who thrive under routine and structure, were affected to a greater or lesser extent.
“As things open up and kids and teens are able to see more of their friends and get back to their regular activities more, things seem to get better, but then when it gets into another wave and things dim a little bit more, there is that feeling we all have of ‘I’m so tired of it and why can’t I do these things that I want to do,’” she said.
“And there are some kids and teens who just had problems all the time, so there’s a mix that depends on a lot of different factors.”
From the changes in daily life, such as hand washing and masks, to the disruption and anxiety around children’s institutions, such as day care centers and schools, the pandemic has also put pressure on parents.
Miller said that’s also an important factor, since kids, especially younger ones, follow mom and dad’s lead.
“So if parents are feeling very anxious, regardless of the cause, and they communicate it through what they say, but also through their nonverbal behaviors, young children especially will pick up on that,” she said.
The risk of COVID-19 for children, although lower than for adults, is still real. Many are suffering from the effects of so-called prolonged COVID, and a small number have also developed a misunderstood syndrome called MIS-C.
MIS-C refers to the multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, first identified in April 2020, which can occur after COVID-19 infection and primarily affects school-age children.
But given potential mental health challenges, doctors say parents must strike a tricky balance between keeping their kids safe and mentally healthy.
“The real message is that we have to do everything we can to support these kids so that when they get through the pandemic, we’re not seeing the long-term consequences of that,” said Dr. Manish Sadarangani, a pediatrician. said an infectious disease physician at BC Children’s Hospital.
With the epidemiology of COVID evolving as the Omicron variant becomes dominant, Miller said parents will need to reassess their tolerance for risk, a process she says can be made easier for children by gradually introducing changes.
The good news, according to Miller, is that the things mental health experts have long prescribed to help kids and teens thrive remain constant: maintaining routines, getting enough sleep, physical activity and time outdoors and quality time with family.
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