In Episode 21 of Dr. Dave On Call, we revisit pediatric mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. We welcome back Child-Adolescent Psychiatrist, Dr. Karen Pierce.

Dr. Pierce is a Clinical Associate Professor of Child Psychiatry at Northwestern University. She is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Psychiatric Association. She is currently in private practice in Chicago, Illinois.

The research demonstrates that COVID-19 is affecting the mental health of children and adolescents at an alarming rate and that depression and anxiety are becoming even more prevalent.

We are seeing these staggering effects of the pandemic on pediatric mental health all over the world. For example, a survey of 1143 parents measuring the effects of the lockdowns in Italy and Spain, nearly 86% reported changes in their children such as difficulty concentrating and spending more time online and asleep, and less time engaging in physical activity. In China, a study of 2330 schoolchildren found that the rates of anxiety and depression has risen during the pandemic. In the United States, the proportion of Emergency Department mental health–related visits for children aged 5–11 and 12–17 years increased approximately 24%. and 31%, respectively when compared to 2019.

It is imperative that we monitor indicators of children’s mental health. We must encourage appropriate coping mechanisms to facilitate resilience. Importantly, we must expand access to critical mental health services to support children’s mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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