Public schools are far from the best place for a child to get a decent education but, in this period of COVID-19 dread risk fear, it is the equivalent of being allowed in the general population of a prison versus being in solitary confinement.
I am told by some parents that many other parents won't let their children intermingle with other children for fear of the child becoming infected with COVID-19 (a virus that has no serious consequences for 99.9% of the population).
It is no wonder that under these conditions we are seeing an explosion in mental health problems among youth.
FAIR, a nonprofit organization which describes itself as being 'dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information', released the findings of a new report.
They studied 32 billion private healthcare claim records, looking at the 13-18 age range and 19-22, and tracking month-by-month changes from January to November 2020, compared to the same months in 2019.
They found startling results.
In March and April 2020, the number of insurance claims for mental health issues among young people aged 13-18, as a percentage of all medical claim lines, approximately doubled compared to the previous year.
In the same age range, claims related to overdoses increased 119.31 per cent in April 2020, versus April 2019.
"Infection-related fears, bereavement, economic instability and social isolation have triggered and exacerbated mental health issues," they wrote in their white paper.
'Young people have proven especially vulnerable to mental health issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"School closures, having to learn remotely and isolating from friends due to social distancing have been sources of stress and loneliness.
"A review of the international literature identified high rates of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic symptoms among children during the pandemic."
The researchers found that April 2020 was overwhelmingly the worst month for mental health problems, across the board and across the country.
Generalized anxiety disorder - the most commonly found condition - increased 93.6 per cent over April 2019, while major depressive disorder increased 83.9 per cent and adjustment disorders 89.7 per cent.
April was the peak month for overdoses, but overdose claim lines continued above 2019 levels throughout the remaining months to November.
They found that, while the number of ER visits for conditions such as broken bones, abdominal pains and respiratory issues went down, the number of people being admitted for mental health conditions increased.
Schizophrenia, in particular, increased markedly from 2019 levels for the older youngsters studied, ranging in age from 19-22. From April 2019 to April 2020, schizophrenia claim lines increased 61.29 per cent as a percentage of all ER claim lines. Afterward, schizophrenia had a lower but sustained increase over 2019 levels.
Government officials aren't kidding when they call it a lockdown.
-RW
It's very annoying to see articles like the Daily Mail's that blame the "pandemic" instead of the draconian lockdowns.
ReplyDeleteThe misdirection is annoying. Its difficult to keep the FAIR information in perspective but combined with the number of people I see wearing masks it suggests a very significant number of people are psychologically handicapped and intellectually weak. They seem to have very limited ability to reason logically and inform their emotional fear. But quite willing to use mandated "mitigation" protocols that have been untested and empirically show no effectiveness. It is difficult to see how these people can produce improvements in human wealth and well-being. Perhaps progress will simply flat-line or even decline for a few generations.
ReplyDeleteThe consistent reference to "the pandemic" is deliberate if not even somehow psuedo-mandated from on high. There can be no demeaning of the political class lest they might lose their ruling legitimacy. But then nothing is ever their fault, their mistake, or their lack of integrity. There always must be some sort of bogeyman whether it be on par with "we've always been at war with..."to some great social evil that must be eradicated "in our time" to whatever is the fear or crisis du jour. Without these things getting in the way the mafia that is government would have to actually do the things that they are supposedly in power to do like as everyone always says '...schools, roads, blah blah blah". It is because of these distractions, the constant crisis that schools suck. Roads suck, etc.
ReplyDelete