advertisement

'on edge all the time:' children's mental health nearing 'crisis' in alberta's fourth wave, doctors say

in her interactions with patients, she finds youth are ...

worsening mental health indicators in alberta children and youth are spurring some doctors to declare a crisis in the fouth wave of the pandemic.

diagnoses and severity of depression, anxiety and eating disorders have increased by at least 20 percent in the last four months, say doctors, some of whom worry the worst is yet to come.

although covid-19 restrictions are looser now than one year ago, mental health issues are being driven by a combination of return-to-school stress, less socializing, excessive screen time and general worry over the pandemic.

more fearful

dr. caroline buzanko, who works with youth aged five to 22 at her koru family psychology clinic in calgary, said 80 per cent of her clients are currently reporting anxiety, up from 40 per cent in april

“depressive symptoms are secondary after anxiety, more in older kids,” she said. “there’s been a 20 per cent increase since the summer.”

in her interactions with patients, she finds youth are more fearful in many situations. she described a recent experience where a patient went to disney world for her 18th birthday.
“she was mortified that someone would get sick before they went. (youth) are on edge all the time worrying about what will happen,” she said.

in calgary, psychiatrist dr. chris wilkes has found a 200 per cent increase in emergency room visits for youth under 18 for anxiety, depression and eating disorders in the last eight months.

“we’ll probably see a worsening or high level of (demand for) mental health services for some time to come,” wilkes said. “we have a crisis in terms of a demand on our services that is outstripping our resources.”

dr. rena lafrance, a psychiatrist at misericordia community hospital in edmonton, said the severity of mental health issues she is seeing in patients aged four to 18 has doubled or tripled in the last few months.

the most common issues she’s seeing are anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, acute stress, adhd and bereavement among children who lost family members to covid-19.

“that doesn’t get better when kids go online and back (to in-person learning),” she said

lafrance attributes the problem to children absorbing the fourth wave anxieties of their parents, more deaths in the news, and uncertainty about kids getting covid.

for children under 11, who can’t yet be vaccinated, lafrance said the uncertainty of not feeling fully protected is also contributing to anxiety.

“there’s been fear about bringing it home to their parents and grandparents,” she said.

“they might not be thrilled at getting an actual needle (but) my perception is they are thrilled about protecting their friends and family and themselves.”

normalcy still a ways off

for calgary pediatrician dr. april elliott, the remaining restrictions in place show youth that normalcy is still a ways off, because kids are missing out on regular social interactions due to masking and distancing.

“right now they’re being told they can’t do so many things,” she said. “and they’ve also been in an era when screen use is necessary. and it’s hard to withdraw from (screens) when they’re socially necessary.”

on a national level, youth mental health was under-addressed by governments even before the pandemic, according to researchers in the recent facets journal article “the impact of covid-19 on the mental health of canadian children and youth.”

the authors urged that a school-based national strategy on mental health be developed, as covid “put a spotlight” on the problem.

they called for new federal funding to be allocated to schools over the next two years to deal with the “growing mental health crisis” among youth. they also want investment in a population-based follow-up of the 2019 canadian health survey on children and youth so accurate information can be obtained about how the pandemic has affected young people.

in edmonton, local family physician dr. doug klein concurs with the need for more collaboration in schools, as he believes most youth who need help aren’t seeking it, fuelling a crisis that could get worse before it gets better. 

“the health-care system and education system and the community need to work together. children are in our schools for several hours everyday. we need to focus on making sure they’re gaining those life skills that will be protective (of mental health),” he said.

to help youth manage their mental health, klein suggested that more needs to be done to encourage them to be active, as restrictions have led to an increase of inactivity, and getting more exercise can alleviate anxiety and depression. and lafrance said giving kids the opportunity to talk about their covid fears, while also working to maintain a regular home routine, can help them feel more stable amid the pandemic.

bmcbride@postmedia.com

twitter.com/blairmcbride

powered by
canadian centre for caregiving excellence

comments

postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. we ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. we have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. visit our community guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.