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American Kids Grappling With Mental Health & Suicide
US. Kids Grappling With Mental Health Crisis Made Worse by The Pandemic
Kids grappling with suicidal crises, mental fatigue as world reopens
Some children's hospitals have seen a recent surge in psychiatric cases
5 Sept 2022 60 Minutes
In this April 18, 2021 photo provided by Jennifer Sampson, her son Zach Sampson, 16, poses in his Florida yard. Sampson was hospitalized twice during the pandemic after feeling suicidal.
After two suicidal crises during pandemic isolation, 16-year-old Zach Sampson feels stronger but worries his social skills have gone stale.
Amara Bhatia has overcome her pandemic depression but the teen feels worn down, in a state of "neutralness.'' Virginia Shipp is adjusting but says returning to normal "is kind of unnormal for me.’’
After relentless months of social distancing, online schooling and other restrictions, many kids are feeling the pandemic’s toll or facing new challenges navigating reentry.
A surge in teen suicide attempts and other mental health crises prompted Children’s Hospital Colorado to declare a state of emergency in late May, when emergency department and hospital inpatient beds were overrun with suicidal kids and those struggling with other psychiatric problems. Typical emergency-department waiting times for psychiatric treatment doubled in May to about 20 hours, said Jason Williams, a pediatric psychologist at the hospital in Aurora.
Other children's hospitals are facing similar challenges.
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In typical times, the activities that come as the school year ends — finals, prom, graduations, summer job-seeking — can be stressful even for the most resilient kids. But after more than a year of dealing with pandemic restrictions, many are worn down and simply don’t "have enough in the tank of resilience’’ to handle stresses that previously would have been manageable, Williams said.
"When the pandemic first hit, we saw a rise in severe cases in crisis evaluation,’’ as kids struggled with "their whole world shutting down,’’ said Christine Certain, a mental health counselor who works with Orlando Health's Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. ‘’Now, as we see the world opening back up, ... it’s asking these kids to make a huge shift again.’’
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