A review conducted by associate professor Sheri Madigan revealed that across the globe, one in four children are experiencing clinically elevated symptoms of depression. Unfortunately, as the pandemic continues, the scientific review has discovered that its mental toll on the youth has only gotten worse.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenging time for everyone, in particular the children and the adolescents who are facing their own personal battles. So before it’s too late, it’s important to understand and support children who are fighting against depression.
Leading Factors That Cause Depression During the Pandemic
Depression is a health condition that causes individuals to feel persistent emotions of sadness and a lack of motivation to fulfill daily tasks. This condition can develop from a wide range of causes, including personal experiences and health factors. A SymptomFind article published this month, describes how one’s level of neurotransmitters, family history of depression, and hormonal changes are all risk factors for depression. Though these factors can increase one’s risk for depression, SymptomFind also notes that depression can develop because of extreme life events like death, financial stressors, and chronic diseases.
A 2021 meta-analysis on the global prevalence of depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed that family financial difficulties, social isolation, and missed developmental milestones were some of the extreme challenges that the youth had to face during the pandemic.[1] The negative toll of the pandemic compounds as children have reduced contact with their peers, teachers, and coaches who play a significant role in improving their mental well-being. On top of that, the pandemic put a stop to the daily routines of youth, thus limiting their access to activities that bring them joy.
Effects of Mental Illness on Children and Society
Depression can not only affect youth themselves, it also impacts their families and society. Since depression causes persistent feelings of sadness and lack of motivation, it can impact a young individual’s sleep quality, appetite for food, and of course, their physical health. Due to these effects, mental illness can even affect their personal relationships and their school performance.
While the life of each child is priceless, the London School of Economics found that economies lose nearly $390 billion annually due to the lost contributions from young individuals that experienced disabilities or death due to a mental illness. This emphasizes that untreated mental disorders can have real and harmful impacts on society.
Strategies That Can Alleviate Depression Among the Youth
Since depression is a health condition, there is hope that young individuals can learn to manage the symptoms. The first step that parents, guardians, or loved ones must take is to provide care and compassion for youth with depression. Since adverse life events may be the cause of depression among young individuals, it’s important for their loved ones to be a source of strength during tough times.
The next step is to seek appropriate treatment. To illustrate, AIM-funded postdoctoral fellow Dr. Marc Weibtraub found out that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be useful for adolescents experiencing severe depression. CBT teaches individuals to regulate their emotions, eliminate harmful thinking traps, as well as monitor their thoughts and behaviors, thus improving their symptoms. CBT is just one of the many solutions that can help youth get better after everything they’ve been through during the pandemic.
Children and adolescents are suffering from depression and related symptoms now more than ever. However, while depression can cause painful effects, it’s important to remember that recovery is possible. If you’re concerned your child may be suffering from depression, the best time to reach out and act is always now.
To help parents and other caring adults become part of the solution, AIM is offering Youth Mental Health First Aid training and certification. The 7-hour training helps adults identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among children and adolescents ages 12-18. You will learn:
- Common signs and symptoms of mental health challenges in this age group, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD).
- Common signs and symptoms of substance use challenges.
- How to interact with a child or adolescent in crisis.
- How to connect the youth with help.
- Expanded content on trauma, substance use, self-care and the impact of social media and bullying.
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Article contributed by Ruthie Jossen
Exclusively for AIM Youth Mental Health
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Krista Reuther is the Assistant Director of Ohana’s Community Health and Prevention Program. She received her Masters in Public Health and Social Work at UC Berkeley. She comes to this position after 14 years of clinical social work experience at Stanford Children’s Hospital in pediatric oncology, critical care, and bereavement. Her goal is to reduce the incidence of mental illness in children and adolescents in Monterey County.
Dr. Guss is a 35-year veteran educator with a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership. She served as a classroom teacher for 10 years, including two years as a teacher in a bilingual program in South Central Los Angeles. She has also served as a college professor, mentor teacher for new teachers, and a master teacher for teacher candidates completing their student teaching experience. She continues to be a strong advocate for the teaching profession.
Fellowship: Stanford University School of Medicine (1994) CA
Michael G. Thompson, Ph.D. is a consultant, author and psychologist specializing in children and families. He is the supervising psychologist for the Belmont Hill School and has worked in more than seven hundred schools across the United States, as well as in international schools in Central America, Europe, Africa and Asia.
is 15 years old and a sophomore at Marina High School in Marina, CA. Her academic interests include math, history, and psychology. She joined the AIM Ideas Lab in 2021 because she wanted to be a part of something that could have a great impact on her community. Marwa is interested in youth mental health because she has always been fascinated with the human mind and she wants to support those that are suffering who may feel like their challenges in life aren’t important enough or are too afraid to seek necessary help.
Giovanna Panetta is a 16 year old junior at Carmel High School. She has always been called to STEM subjects, specifically biology. The AIM Ideas Lab instantly attracted her attention as a research opportunity. Gia has always comprehended the importance of mental health. She knows that COVID only exacerbated previously existing problems, and that as a community we can try and find the root of those problems. Mental health is an integral part of life, and can impede a body’s ability to be healthy. She strongly believes that life is worth living, and she wants to help anyone that thinks otherwise.
Dr. Friedman completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology from University of California San Diego (UCSD). She went on to complete her masters and doctorate degrees (Ph.D.) in Clinical Psychology from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science/Chicago Medical School. Dr. Friedman completed her pre-doctoral internship at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, and her post-doctoral fellowship training at the VA San Diego Healthcare System. Her clinical training and experience has been focused primarily on comprehensive assessment and effective treatments for anxiety, mood and related disorders. Dr. Friedman has extensive experience in providing Cognitive Behavioral Therapies for anxiety disorders (e.g. worry, OCD, social anxiety, phobias and PTSD), depression, adjustment disorders/life stress, insomnia and body-focused repetitive behaviors (e.g. Trichotillomania and skin picking). She has received training in evidence-based interventions for a variety of specific problems, including exposure with response prevention (ERP) for treatment of OCD, Prolonged Exposure (PE) for treatment of PTSD, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). Moreover, she has specialty training in the treatment of childhood anxiety and related disorders, such as ADHD, selective mutism, separation anxiety, PTSD, depression and specific phobias. In addition, Dr. Friedman has developed an expertise in research on Trichotillomania and body-focused repetitive behaviors, which has led to numerous local and national presentations. Dr. Friedman regularly attends local and national conferences, training seminars and workshops in order to stay informed on the most up to date treatments and apply state of the art science into her clinical practice.
Dr. Piacentini is a board-certified clinical child and adolescent psychologist and Professor in the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences. He directs the UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Clinic and Tourette Association Center of Excellence which provide diagnostic evaluation and treatment (both therapy and medication) for youth with the above problems. He also directs the UCLA Center for Child Anxiety Resilence, Education, and Support (CARES; carescenter.ucla.edu) which provides education and programming to parents, teachers, and clinicians about anxiety prevention and management.
Citlalli Nava is 18 years old and a first year majoring in Psychology at Hartnell Community College in Salinas, CA. She is passionate about understanding how mental health affects how youth think, act, and feel. Citlalli joined the AIM Ideas Lab in 2021 after witnessing the increase in mental health challenges in teenagers and considering the mental health issues they are facing. Citlalli is interested in youth mental health because it is a real problem faced by her generation.
Clinical and community psychologist and health care innovator Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, is CEO of the American Psychological Association, the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. With more than 146,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students as members, APA promotes and disseminates psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve lives – a mission consistent with Evans’ life work.
