Protecting youth mental health : the U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory.

Format:

Book

Government document

Author/Creator:

United States. Public Health Service. Office of the Surgeon General, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Youth--Mental health--United States.

Youth.

Youth--Mental health services--United States.

Mental health policy--United States.

Mental health policy.

Mental health.

Mental Disorders--prevention & control.

Adolescent.

Mental Health.

COVID-19--psychology.

Adolescent Behavior.

United States.

mental health.

Youth--Mental health.

Youth--Mental health services.

Medical Subjects:

Mental Disorders--prevention & control.

Adolescent.

Mental Health.

COVID-19--psychology.

Adolescent Behavior.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (53 pages) : color illustrations

Place of Publication:

[Washington, D.C.] : [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services] : 2021.

Summary:

During the pandemic, children, adolescents, and young adults have faced unprecedented challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed their world, including how they attend school, interact with friends, and receive health care. They missed first days of school, months or even years of in-person schooling, graduation ceremonies, sports competitions, playdates, and time with relatives. They and their family may have lost access to mental health care, social services, income, food, or housing.41 They may have had COVID-19 themselves, suffered from long COVID symptoms, or lost a loved one to the disease--it's estimated that as of June 2021, more than 140,000 children in the US had lost a parent or grandparent caregiver to COVID-19. Since the pandemic began, rates of psychological distress among young people, including symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders, have increased. Recent research covering 80,000 youth globally found that depressive and anxiety symptoms doubled during the pandemic, with 25% of youth experiencing depressive symptoms and 20% experiencing anxiety symptoms. Negative emotions or behaviors such as impulsivity and irritability--associated with conditions such as ADHD-- appear to have moderately increased. Early clinical data are also concerning: In early 2021, emergency department visits in the United States for suspected suicide attempts were 51% higher for adolescent girls and 4% higher for adolescent boys compared to the same time period in early 2019. Moreover, pandemic-related measures reduced in-person interactions among children, friends, social supports, and professionals such as teachers, school counselors, pediatricians, and child welfare workers. This made it harder to recognize signs of child abuse, mental health concerns, and other challenges. During the pandemic, young people also experienced other challenges that may have affected their mental and emotional wellbeing: the national reckoning over the deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police officers, including the murder of George Floyd; COVID-related violence against Asian Americans; gun violence; an increasingly polarized political dialogue; growing concerns about climate change; and emotionally-charged misinformation.

Contents:

Introduction from the Surgeon General

About the advisory

Background

We can take action. What young people can do

What family members and caregivers can do

What educators, school staff, and school districts can do

What health care organizations and health professionals can do

What media organizations, entertainment companies, and journalists can do

What social media, video gaming, and other technology companies can do

What community organizations can do

What funders and foundations can do

What employers can do

What federal, state, local, and tribal governments can do

Where additional research is needed

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

References.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 42-53).

Description based on online resource, PDF version; title from cover (HHS, viewed Dec. 13, 2021).

OCLC:

1288422203