School Shutdowns Have Had Devastating Impact on Students’ Mental Health

Townhall.com ^ | March 6, 2021 | Chris Talgo

[Kaslin]

Close to one year after the vast majority of public schools decided to suspend in-person learning due to the coronavirus, a new report shows just how much this misguided decision has negatively impacted the mental health of students across America.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on mental health, particularly on that of young people,” according to a recently released report titled “The Impact of COVID-19 on Pediatric Mental Health.”

The new report, far from anecdotal, “analyzed data from its database of over 32 billion private healthcare claim records, tracking month-by-month changes from January to November 2020 compared to the same months in 2019.”

The results, while unsurprising, are downright tragic. Consider the following:

• “In March and April 2020, mental health claim lines for individuals aged 13-18 … approximately doubled over the same months in the previous year.”
• “Claim lines for intentional self-harm … in the 13-18 age group increased 90.71 percent in March 2020 compared to March 2019. The increase was even larger when comparing April 2020 to April 2019, nearly doubling (99.83 percent).”
• “Comparing August 2019 to August 2020 in the Northeast, for the age group 13-18, there was a 333.93 percent increase in intentional self-harm claim lines.”
• “For the age group 13-18, claim lines for overdoses increased 94.91 percent … in March 2020 and 119.31 percent in April 2020 over the same months the year before.
• “For the age group 6-12, from spring to November 2020, claim lines for obsessive-compulsive disorder and tic disorders increased as a percentage of all medical claim lines from their levels in the corresponding months of 2019.”
• “For the age group 13-18, in April 2020, claim lines for generalized anxiety disorder increased 93.6 percent as a percentage of all medical claim lines over April 2019, while major depressive disorder claim lines increased 83.9 percent and adjustment disorder claim lines 89.7 percent.”

Sadly, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Teen suicide rates are also up as a result of school lockdowns.

What is most maddening about all of this is that it was completely preventable.

For months, we have known that children are basically immune to COVID-19. Furthermore, we have also known for a significant period that children are far less likely than adults to spread COVID-19. Yet, schools closed. And far too many remain closed.

Although it is understandable that an abundance of caution was exercised at the beginning of the pandemic considering we knew very little about the virus, it is shameful that so many public schools remain closed almost one year later.

America’s students are suffering across the board because of the terrible decision to keep them out of school. Aside from the mental health trauma wrought by months of social isolation, these students, an entire generation, are falling woefully behind in terms of academics.

There is also no replacement for the coming-of-age process that occurs in school hallways, cafeterias, sports, clubs, and extra-curricular activities. Sentencing millions of students to a year of Zoom learning will have unknown long-term consequences by retarding their social development.

It is an abomination that those who we expect to nurture and teach our children have been completely derelict in their duty for close to a year. And every day that young kids are stuck at home in front of a screen is another day they will never get back.

This must end. We absolutely should call for the reopening of all schools immediately.

When we look back at this chapter in American history, we will rue the day that we allowed our nation’s most precious resource, our children, to suffer so needlessly.

[Sacajaweau]

Their friends are their support groups...not their UNION teachers.

[cnsmom]

Parenting in pajamas is the current trend.

[linMcHlp]

Socialist teaching, has the more devastating effect.

People who push to get “all students” back to school, are ignoring that.

[Pollard]

Here in rural MO, the kids have back in school for a while, no masks, no mass deaths or sickness. Guess they figured out it’s all a scam.

City people used to be tough. 40 years ago, people would be barging into the school board meeting or the school or governor’s office. Might have even been some fists thrown.

[glennaro]

Dehumanized, frightened, ignorant people -- teachers and their unions among them -- are capable of doing inhumane things ... even to innocent children.

This is hard to fathom in America, but it's true ... and their are myriad examples throughout society.

[glennaro]

"their" should be "there" of course.

Damned autocorrect (which has now been disabled.)

Reminds me of the joke posted here a few weeks ago:
A priest, a minister and a rabbit walk into a bar.
Bartender asks the rabbit, "What'll you have?"
Rabbit replies, "How the hell should I know? I'm only here because of autocorrect!"

[DoodleBob]

Town Hall isn't American Thinker, but I expect better reporting:

For months, we have known that children are basically immune to COVID-19. Furthermore, we have also known for a significant period that children are far less likely than adults to spread COVID-19.

Um, no.

Kids 5-17 make up about 9.5% of all cases in the US. While they make up a scant 0.1% of fatalities, that's not the same as being "immune."

As for them being less likely to spread than adults, let's not be coy: anyone with a younger child knows they're walking Petrie dishes. The teens less so, but there aren't too many 14-year old boys who thoroughly wash their hands. And I doubt teens' hygiene and personal interactions are less spreader-like than adults - they all effectively lick each others' phones.

In fact it was only in a controlled study in Egypt with heavy parental and govt oversight where I've seen kids' super-spreader status clipped. But, again, it was coerced and I don't think Americans would like those controls whipped on us.

Now, this doesn't mean locking down schools was a great idea. It wasn't. And while the kiddies weren't immune it wasn't nearly as fatal for them as it was for grandma - people over 64 made up about 14% of cases but over 70% of the fatalities.

But if people could simply write coherently, or do basic research, it'd be welcome.

[camle]

this concept will soon be used to eliminate home-schooling

[sanjuanbob]

A lot of teachers hate their job and are using covid to stay at home. My next door neighbor is in her mid 50s and thinks the kids are going to infect her (mask freak 24/7). She should be granted a 12mo LOA and let new teacher grads fill her slot. Using the kids as pawns isn’t right.

[GailA]

Very true. Plus boring school is not #1 on their list.

[WhattheDickens?]

Dear God in heaven above, how have we allowed this? How do we continue to allow this?

[Fester Chugabrew]

BUMP!