There have been many stories about the harmful effects of school closures on our children during the closure of COVID-19. There is significant concern about the long-term impact on learning, falling grades, and millions of children who have just disappeared from their digital classrooms and are not returning when schools reopen.
In addition, we have seen several reports of increasing mental health issues, based primarily on parental feedback. There have also been local reports of increases in teen suicide. In Clark County, Nevada, schools were opened after 18 students in the district committed suicide. According to news reports, since the school closed, 30 children have been killed in Cook County, Illinois. A lawsuit against a San Francisco school district finds significant increases in children in need of mental health services:
The UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital has experienced a 66% increase in the number of suicidal children in the emergency room and 75% of young people in need of hospitalization for mental health services, according to the lawsuit, which cites pediatricians, child psychiatrists and emergency physicians.
Last month, the UCSF Department of Child Emergencies in Mission Bay reported a record number of suicide children seen and treated, according to the legal record that did not provide a detailed number of cases and visits to the hospital. He also cited doctors who cited an increase in anxiety, depression and eating disorders among children, according to national data.
There is now a report examining medical claims for mental health treatment nationwide. An analysis by FAIR Health, the largest U.S. data repository on private medical claims, looked at the use of year-over-year services for mental health diagnoses. The results should be of concern to us at the national level. It is unclear how the development of maladaptive coping mechanisms or suffering from a mental health disorder as a child will affect someone. From the study for children aged 13 to 18:
- In March and April 2020, mental health claim lines as a percentage of all medical claim lines doubled in approximately the same months of the previous year.
- The pattern of increasing lines of mental health allegations continued until November 2020, albeit to a lesser extent.
- Intentional injury claim lines as a percentage of all medical claim lines increased by 90.71 percent in March 2020 compared to March 2019.
- The increase was even more significant when comparing April 2020 with April 2019, with 99.83 percent.
- Overdose claim lines increased by 94.91% as a percentage of all medical claim lines in March 2020 and 119.31% in April 2020 during the same months in 2019.
- In April 2020, claim lines for generalized anxiety disorder increased by 93.6% as a percentage of all medical claim lines during April 2019
- Major depressive disorder claim lines increased by 83.9 percent and major depressive disorder claim lines by 89.7 percent.
- The three main mental health conditions from January to November 2020 were, in order from most to least common, major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and adjustment disorders.
- Eating disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder also became more common between March and November 2020.
- Emergency room visits for mental illness increased by 8.3% year-on-year from March to November 2020. They peaked in September with an increase of 22.8%.
For children aged 6 to 12, obsessive-compulsive disorder and tic disorders from spring to November 2020 showed increases during 2019. Some months, these increases reach up to 30%, and the disorders of tics increase over time until November. These vocal, motor, and Tourette-like symptoms should usually persist for a period of months to a year before diagnosis. All claims for attention deficit and related disorders decreased, indicating that teachers and school professionals often identify symptoms when they interfere with a child’s behavior or learning.
College students ages 19 to 22 reflected many of the trends in the 13-18 age group. However, there were also marked increases in emergency room visits for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and panic, indicating a severe exacerbation of diagnosed diseases or newly emerging diagnoses. For adolescents and young adults, the percentage of girls suffering from mental health problems went from a normal of about two-thirds of all diagnoses to 73%. This gender difference was especially evident in the 13-18 age group for intentional self-harm claims. As of August 2020, girls account for 84% of cases. These claims can lead to successful suicide, along with overdose.
Some of these claims represent children their parents will never see again. At some point we will soon know what that number is. Anecdotal data indicate that far more than 208 children under the age of 18 have died from COVID-19, according to the CDC. Many of the COVID-19 losses occurred tragically in children who were very ill. Most suicides reported in the news occur with a healthy, high-functioning child and often gifted in a sport or in academics. The loss of any child is an unspeakable tragedy. The loss of a child by suicide leaves particular scars on parents and siblings.
As some states reopened and schools began face-to-face instruction, researchers note that claims began to slowly decline until November 2020, the last month analyzed. They come to the reopening of credit for the decline. These trends in all age groups should clearly demonstrate that schools need to open now. Instead, our new Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, and his staff are concerned about equity programs and the development of “safe” school reopening plans.
Cardona calls for a national summit and his priority seems to appease teachers’ unions with performative nonsense. He also insists more money is required, noting the $ 130 billion for schools in Biden’s stimulus proposal. In February, the Committee for a Responsible Budget reported that state and local governments and teachers had not spent nearly $ 145 billion on the previous package. At least 55% of them are open to face-to-face and hybrid learning.
Stop normalizing the ridiculous demands of teachers ’unions and AFT executive chairman Randi Weingarten. They would return to the classroom today if they cared about our children’s health, safety, and learning. The real teachers of the whole nation and the world are and have been for months. The workplace should reduce the power and influence of these unions by any necessary legal means.