ions (anxiety, depression, trauma and stressor related disorders, ADHD, behavior/conduct disorders) by age, and the practical application for school mental health and early childhood providers in identifying and referring children appropriately for services. This brief was prepared through intramural research by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.
Sound the Alarm for Kids: Provides clear, factual statistics to justify response to children’s mental health needs in 2021-22 as a “national emergency.” The Children’s Hospital Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry have jointly constructed this website to support policy advocacy and effective practices. “We are facing a significant national mental health crisis in our children and teens which requires urgent action. In the first six months of this year, children’s hospitals across the country reported a shocking 45 percent increase in the number of self-injury and suicide cases in 5- to 17-year-olds compared to the same period in 2019. We are sounding the alarm on this mental health emergency.”
Virtual Reset Room: Offers an extensive, curated set of helpful tools (e.g. visual relaxation, guided practice, wildlife camera, sounds and music) to equip students and educators with means to access to support wellness and resilience amid contemporary stressors. Scores of specific tools have been catalogued at this website by the Rockingham County (NC) Schools’ Behavioral Health Department.
Responding to COVID-19 - School Mental Health: Offers a curated collection of events and resources to support the well-being of educators and school mental health personnel. Gathered by SAMHSA’s Mental Health Technology Transfer Center [MHTTC] Network, this collection offers COVID-related products and resources specific to school mental health that can be useful when coping with the effects of widespread public health crises. A compilation of school mental health resources from other organizations is also available at this site.
Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health in Adolescents: A Systematic Review: Assesses the impact of the pandemic on adolescent mental health through systematic review of 16 quantitative studies conducted in 2019–2021 with more than 40,000 participants. The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health reports that adolescents of varying backgrounds experience higher rates of anxiety, depression, and stress due to the pandemic. Adolescents also have a higher frequency of using alcohol and cannabis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social support, positive coping skills, home quarantining, and parent–child discussions seem to positively impact adolescent mental health during the COVID-19 period of crisis. It is important to seek and use all available resources and therapies to help adolescents mediate adjustments caused by the pandemic.
KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: The Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on the Wellbeing of Parents and Children: Reports findings by the Kaiser Family Foundation about effects of the pandemic on children’s academic and emotional development over time, as well as specific impacts on adults in households that effect the children. In KFF’s large-scale polling in August 2021, 42% report their children have experienced at least one new mental health symptoms in the past 12 months including difficulty concentrating on schoolwork (27%), problems with nervousness or being easily scared or worried (19%,) trouble sleeping (18%), poor appetite or overeating (15%), and frequent headaches or stomachaches (11%).
Mental Health and Substance Use Consideration Among Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Reports the nature and prevalence of anxiety, depression and ADD/ADHD among children and adolescents in 2018 and 2019, and presents comparable reports of mental health (MH) and substance use (SUD) during the extended COVID-19 pandemic (e.g. May 2020, October 2020, March 2021). Given numerous reports of higher incid