The National Alliance on Mental Illness shared that the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated children’s mental health challenges. The U.S. News & World Report reported that “1 in every 5 teens has or will develop a serious mental illness and that 50% of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin in children by age 14.”
However, as dire as the problem is, a panel discussion of children’s mental health experts concluded that a community-based approach to mental wellness is key among the solutions.
“Obviously emergency services and acute services are an important component, but it’s really the tip of the iceberg or tip of the pyramid,” said Dr. David Axelson, a panelist and psychiatry chief for Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. “We really want to actually get at the issues way before we even need that kind of service and think about prevention in a broad-based way, both in education in schools and in the community.”
View that panel discussion at this link. And, in honor of Children’s Mental Health Awareness Month check out Change Matrix’s own panel about COVID-19’s ongoing impact on children’s mental wellness below:
