By The Sampadak Express
A new study highlights a significant rise in mental health disorders among children and teenagers during the COVID-19 pandemic, with cases increasing by over 11 percent annually. The disruption caused by school closures, social isolation, and widespread uncertainty has left lasting effects on the mental well-being of young people.
Pandemic’s Lasting Impact on Youth Mental Health
Before the pandemic, mental health issues among youth were already a concern, but large-scale studies focusing specifically on children and adolescents were scarce. This research aimed to fill that gap by analyzing data from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2021, covering mental health trends in individuals aged 5 to 24 across 204 countries.
Researchers compared pre-pandemic data from 2019 with figures from 2020 and 2021 to assess the pandemic’s effect on mental health. They focused on new cases, the total affected population, and the overall burden in terms of years lived with disability (YLDs).
Key Findings
The study used statistical models to predict expected mental health trends based on previous years and compared them with the actual data to understand the pandemic’s true impact. It revealed that in 2021 alone, 123 million new cases of mental disorders emerged among youth, representing an 11.8 percent annual increase compared to pre-pandemic rates.
Anxiety disorders were the most affected, becoming the leading cause of nonfatal disability in this age group, contributing to 12.9 million years lived with disability in 2021. Depression also increased significantly, ranking as the fourth leading cause of disability.
Who Was Most Affected?
The study found that young women, particularly those aged 15-24, experienced the sharpest rise in depression, while anxiety also surged among children under 10. Wealthier regions like North America, Western Europe, and Australasia reported the greatest increases, although Latin America was also significantly impacted. However, due to data limitations, the study did not fully account for racial or ethnic differences, and the findings only cover data through 2021, leaving long-term effects uncertain.
Looking Ahead
While the research offers vital insights into the pandemic’s impact on youth mental health, it also underscores the need for more research to understand the long-term effects. The study was conducted by Yubo Liu, Yijun Ren, Chenxi Liu, and others.
