​Our children are in a state of mental health emergency.

​Our children are in a state of mental health emergency. 
Dr. M de Klerk
 
Even before the pandemic, by the time kids are 18, almost 1 in 2 are diagnosed with any mental health disorder. 
 
Even before the pandemic, suicide was the 2nd leading cause of death in our youth ages 10-24 years, only second to unintentional injury, and far above influenza-related deaths. Children 10-14 years old are 13X more likely to die by suicide than influenza & for teens 15-19 that number climbs to  27X. 
 
Even during the pandemic, injury & suicide remained the top 2 causes of death among children & teens, and yes - even higher the pediatric deaths from COVID-19. 
 
In the winter of 2020, ER visits for suicide attempts by children ages 12-17 jumped almost 40% compared with the pre-pandemic winter of 2019.
 
As we grapple with how this pandemic will end, let’s not forget that the epidemic of childhood anxiety & depression has been raging unchecked. 
 
We might  think that only adults are burdened by this pandemic, financially  and emotionally, but please do not disregard the effect on our children. 
 
Just because they can not vocalize their fears and worries like we do, we should not simply glance over their distress.
 
Talk to them, make sure they know that you support  them. And love them.....
 
If they need extra support, natural functional medicine offers wonderfull effective  treatments to support them on various levels.