PARIS (AP) – Doctors say the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the mental health of children is alarming and plain to see.
France’s busiest pediatric hospital has seen a doubling in the number of children and young teenagers requiring treatment after attempted suicides.
Doctors elsewhere report similar surges, with children – some as young as 8 – deliberately running into traffic, overdosing on pills and otherwise self-harming. In Japan, child and adolescent suicides hit record levels in 2020.
Pediatric psychiatrists say they’re also seeing children with coronavirus-related phobias, tics and eating disorders. Some are obsessing about infection, scrubbing their hands raw and covering their bodies with disinfectant gel.
Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth is among facilities that has reported a sharp uptick in young patients attempted to harm themselves.
One doctor says “the crisis affects all of us, from age 2 to 99.”
(Copyright 2021 WBAP/KLIF 24/7 News. This report contains material from The Associated Press.)
