Panic purveyors in the media and political class have had a heavy toll on young people. A new study shows that depression and suicide rates among young people have soared as a result of the social isolation imposed by the pandemic.
School closing have been particularly hard on young people. The school closing are particular wrong headed because schools have not been shown to be centers for the transmission of COVID.
"Being socially isolated, kept away from their friends, their school routines and extracurricular activities during the pandemic has proven to be difficult on youth," said lead researcher Sheri Madigan. She is an assistant professor in the department of psychology at the University of Calgary, in Canada.
"An important consideration for keeping schools open should be the mental health and well-being of youth," Madigan said. Children tend to thrive when their environment is predictable, and in-person learning allows for more consistent routines and structure, so keeping schools open may protect children from mental health problems, she said.
The increase in suicide and depression rates is particularly alarming.
Dr. Victor Fornari, vice chair of child and adolescent psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, N.Y., said he has seen firsthand the increase in mental health problems among the young. "We've seen in our emergency rooms a 50% increase in suicidal adolescents presenting over the past 12 months and an almost 300% increase in admissions for eating disorders amongst adolescents," he said.
The pandemic has been stressful for adolescents as they struggle with home instruction and virtual schooling, Fornari said. "School is their social network. Without being with their peers, their friends, they're in a more stressful environment at home."
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