Antecedents and Trajectories of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Crisis: Assimilating Empirically Guided Pathways for Stakeholders.

Abstract

Importance: Amid and following the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a growing focus on understanding the underlying etiology of the mental health crisis in children and youth. However, there remains a dearth of empirically driven literature to comprehensively explore these issues. This narrative review delves into current mental health challenges among children and youth, examining perspectives from both pre-pandemic and pandemic periods.

Observations: Research highlights reveal concerning statistics, such as 1 in 5 children experience mental health disorders. The pandemic exacerbated these issues, introducing stressors such as job losses and heightened anticipatory anxiety. Race relations have emerged as a significant public health concern, with biases impacting students, particularly affecting Asian, black, and multiracial individuals. Substance use trends indicate a rise in overdose deaths, particularly among adolescents, with cannabis use linked to adverse outcomes. Increased screen time and income disparities further compound mental health challenges.

Conclusions and Relevance: Proposed public health mitigation strategies include improving access to evidence based treatments, implementing legislative measures for early identification and treatment of developmental disorders, and enhancing suicide prevention efforts. School-based interventions and vocational-technical education are crucial, alongside initiatives targeting sleep hygiene, social media usage, nutrition, and physical activity. Educating health care professionals about both physical and mental health is essential to address workforce burnout and effectively manage clinical complexities.

Prim Care Companion CNS Disord 2024;26(5):24nr03747.

Author affiliations are listed at the end of this article.