Community-related risks for mental health The environment of children is affected at different levels– including community and family - as well as the individual child itself. They include the socio-ecological impact of the pandemic, which is understood to be enormous. The current crises imposes multifaceted burdens on children. This paper highlights some key challenges and concerns for treatment and research on child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) across Europe during the different pandemic phases and offers some recommendations that can be adopted immediately.ĭuring the recent Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in China, 54% of the participants of a large online study rated the impact of the outbreak on their mental health as moderate to severe, with depressive symptoms and anxiety being the conditions most often stated. This has put a lot of pressure on children, adolescents and their families which could result in distress, mental health problems and violence.Īs the pandemic is evolving through phases, this paper evaluates the impact these phases might have on mental health of children and adolescents and the provision of psychiatric services. Beside worries and anxieties related to COVID-19, the economic situation has worsened with high and rising levels of unemployment in all affected countries. External support by other family members and social support systems have fallen away. Parents are asked to support their children with home schooling, while at the same time working from home. Kindergartens and schools have been closed, social contacts strongly limited and out-of-home leisure time activities canceled. The current situation affects children, adolescents and their families in an exceptional way. Isolation, contact restrictions and economic shutdown impose a complete change to the psychosocial environment of affected countries. Research is needed to assess the implications of policies enacted to contain the pandemic on mental health of children and adolescents, and to estimate the risk/benefit ratio of measures such as home schooling, in order to be better prepared for future developments.Ĭoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is profoundly affecting lives around the globe. COVID-19-associated mental health risks will disproportionately hit children and adolescents who are already disadvantaged and marginalized. Child and adolescent psychiatrists must ensure continuity of care during all phases of the pandemic. There are numerous mental health threats associated with the current pandemic and subsequent restrictions. The efficacy of telepsychiatry is another highly relevant issue is to evaluate the efficacy of telehealth and perfect its applications to child and adolescent psychiatry. Urgent research questions comprise understanding the mental health effects of social distancing and economic pressure, identifying risk and resilience factors, and preventing long-term consequences, including-but not restricted to-child maltreatment. To maintain regular and emergency child and adolescent psychiatric treatment during the pandemic is a major challenge but is necessary for limiting long-term consequences for the mental health of children and adolescents. Especially for children and adolescents with special needs or disadvantages, such as disabilities, trauma experiences, already existing mental health problems, migrant background and low socioeconomic status, this may be a particularly challenging time. Another main threat is an increased risk for parental mental illness, domestic violence and child maltreatment. Anxiety, lack of peer contact and reduced opportunities for stress regulation are main concerns. Even though the current crisis can bring with it opportunities for personal growth and family cohesion, disadvantages may outweigh these benefits. These measures have the potential to threaten the mental health of children and adolescents significantly. Isolation, contact restrictions and economic shutdown impose a complete change to the psychosocial environment in affected countries. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is profoundly affecting life around the globe.
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