It should come as no surprise that problems with mental health have been on the rise over the past two years. However, studies have recently shown that the Covid-19 pandemic is not the sole driver in the dramatic increase in mental health cases. This New York Times article from Kim Tingley explores the mental health epidemic that Americans, particularly American children, are currently facing:
“Why do girls appear to be struggling? Are boys faring better? Or are their problems more likely to be overlooked? The numbers can’t answer questions like these. “No single, comprehensive surveillance system for children’s mental health in the United States exists,” the C.D.C. noted in a supplementary report. The current surveys that keep tabs on various aspects of mental health in children are too slow to capture swift changes amid a national crisis. And though rapid surveys have evaluated the pandemic’s impact on the mental health of adults, fewer have considered how children are doing. “A lot of times kids aren’t the first in line,” says Daniel Dickstein, the associate chief and director of research at McLean Hospital’s child and adolescent psychiatry division. And, he points out, if more children were getting adequate mental-health care earlier, fewer would end up in the E.R., a venue that is not set up for ongoing treatment of psychiatric conditions.”
You can read the full article here
