As the COVID-19 pandemic hit one of its most dangerous peaks in 2021, nearly half of young people in the U.S. had a substance use or mental health disorder, a federal survey found. A psychiatry expert says that easier access to illicit drugs and the government's mishandling of 'black box' labeling for psychiatric prescriptions were major contributing factors to the crisis.
Hands holding medical pills in dramatic light.As the COVID-19 pandemic hit one of its most dangerous peaks in 2021, nearly half of young people in the U.S. had a substance use or mental health disorder, a federal survey found. A psychiatry expert says that easier access to illicit drugs and the government’s mishandling of “black box” labeling for psychiatric prescriptions were major contributing factors to the crisis.
Dr. Arif Khan, a psychiatrist, adjunct professor of psychiatry at the Duke University School of Medicine and medical director at Northwest Clinical Research Center in Bellevue, Wash., told Yahoo News that easy access to substances like cannabis since its decriminalization and legalization in many U.S. states has worsened the substance use crisis among the youth.
Among adolescents 12 to 17 in 2021, 12.7% had serious thoughts of suicide, almost 6% percent made a suicide plan and over 3% attempted suicide. The survey has a disclaimer that these estimates are “conservative” because children 12 to 17 were given the response options “I’m not sure” and “I don’t want to answer,” which were not options for adults.
“Socialization affected all these children, anywhere from ages 3 and up,” Khan told Yahoo News. “I would say socialization has become much more difficult for them to form relationships. Certainly for adolescents, a sense of belonging is a big issue for them. So that's gonna be some of the things to watch out for. But it's hard to say how different communities and how different regions will handle it.
that found an uptick in suicide deaths among adolescents and young adults after the FDA issued warnings about antidepressant use and possible suicidal ideation.
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