Xinhua News Agency, Washington, February 18 (Reporter Tan Jingjing) The new crown epidemic has disrupted the normal life order, bringing uncertainty and loneliness to people, including children and adolescents.
The latest report released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the 18th shows that during the new crown epidemic, the mental health of children and adolescents in the United States has deteriorated.
Data map: A new coronavirus testing station in New York, the United States tests residents.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released two studies on the same day that children and adolescents visited emergency departments in hospitals between January 2019 and January 2022.
One report showed that children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 17 saw an overall decrease in emergency department visits during the pandemic compared with 2019, but the number and proportion of visits for certain unintentional injuries, chronic diseases and behavioral health problems increased. Increase.
During the pandemic, the health, economic and psychological problems experienced by adult caregivers can increase the vulnerability of children, the report said.
Some children have lost their parents or caregivers to the pandemic, and other hardships have also increased, and their daily lives have been affected, all of which have contributed to the increase in children's behavioral health problems.
More than 140,000 children and teens in the United States have lost their parents or caregivers to the pandemic.
Another report showed that during the pandemic, adolescent girls aged 12 to 17 saw a sharp increase in the number and proportion of emergency department visits for mental health issues.
Emergency visits for eating disorders in adolescent girls have doubled compared to pre-pandemic levels, and emergency visits for tic disorders have more than tripled.
This is related to the various difficulties brought about by the epidemic, which is exacerbated by the lack of timely medical assistance for mental health problems during the epidemic.
According to the CDC, early identification and preventive intervention are critical to improving children's mental health.
The lack of timely medical assistance and increased emotional stress may lead to aggravation of children's mental health problems, and the whole society should raise awareness in this regard.
According to epidemic statistics released by Johns Hopkins University in the United States, as of the evening of the 18th Eastern Time, the cumulative number of confirmed cases of new crowns in the United States exceeded 78.42 million, and the cumulative number of deaths exceeded 934,000.