The New York Times (2/23, Carey) reports research shows “that for young people who are anxious by nature, or feeling emotionally fragile already, the pandemic and its isolation have pushed them to the brink. Rates of suicidal thinking and behavior are up by 25 percent or more from similar periods in 2019, according to a just-published analysis of surveys of young patients coming into the emergency” department. Many EDs “are now seeing a surge in such cases.” Furthermore, “the local emergency department is frequently unprepared for the added burden. Workers often are not specially trained to manage behavioral problems, and families don’t have many options for where to go next, leaving many of these pandemic-insecure adolescents in limbo.”
Related Links:
— “For Some Teens, It’s Been a Year of Anxiety and Trips to the E.R. “Benedict Carey, The New York Times, February 23, 2021