By Mary Beth Maslowski, Psychiatry Advisor, December 9, 2021
US Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy issued a public health advisory on Tuesday, December 6,2021 in order to provide recommendations for how to address the mental health challenges confronting children, adolescents, and young adults, which have been exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. The advisory, issued by the Office of the Surgeon General, speaks about actions that various groups, such as, family members, community organizations, technology companies, and young people themselves can do to ease the burden of this mental health crisis. What steps health care professionals and health professionals can take is also addressed.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health challenges were the leading cause of disability and poor life outcomes in young people, with up to 1 in 5 children ages 3 to 17 in the US with a reported mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral disorder. In addition, in 2016, of the 7.7 million children with treatable mental health disorder, about half did not receive adequate treatment.
In recent years, certain mental health symptoms, such as depression and suicidal ideation, have substantially increased. From 2009 to 2019, the proportion of high school students reporting persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness increased by 40%; the share seriously considering attempting suicide increased by 36%; and the share creating a suicide plan increased by 44%.
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