CDC Reports on Worsening Children’s Mental Health during Pandemic

Two new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports examining 2019-January 2022 pediatric emergency department (ED) visit data “suggest that the ongoing children’s mental health crisis has gotten worse during the pandemic.”  One report reveals that, while pediatric ED visits have decreased since 2019, the “number and proportion of visits increased for certain injuries (eg, firearm injuries, self-harm, and drug poisonings), some chronic diseases, and behavioral health concerns.”  Another report reveals that, for adolescent females, the proportion of ED visits for mental health conditions have increased since 2019, particularly for eating and tic disorders, which doubled and tripled respectively.  Over 140,000 children in the U.S. have lost parents and caregivers to COVID-19.  The CDC is recommending health care providers and families be particularly aware for signs of “increasing emotional distress and behavioral health concerns among children and adolescents,” and notes “early identification and expanded evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies are critical to improving pediatric mental health.”  For more information, see the CDC 2/18/2022 COVID Data Tracker Weekly Review.