Soaring number of kids are going to emergency rooms for mental health concerns
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Kids are in crisis.
The number of children going to emergency departments with anxiety and depression is skyrocketing. The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association reports numbers across the state are surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
Dr. John Fanton, a psychiatrist at CHKD, said the numbers there have been staggering.
ED visits requiring mental health consultation at the Norfolk hospital have nearly tripled since 2018, from 972 to 2,895 in 2023.
“Actual or approaching attempts of self-harm, or of taking steps towards, or having made attempts to end their life, have been the the vast majority of cases,” Fanton said.
Suicide is now the second leading cause of death in children ages 10 to 14 across the country. Many mental health providers blame social media.
One study showed children and teens who spend more than three hours a day on these platforms increase their risk of developing anxiety and depression. Another survey showed more than half of teens are spending nearly five hours a day on social media.
Parents are urged to limit screen time and create a safe space for kids at home.
“Being able to validate your child’s emotions is the most powerful thing parents can do,” Fanton said.
Parents, he said, should let children voice their concerns and then reassure them that you are there for them and love them.
In 2022 CHKD opened a free-standing mental health hospital to help address the growing need. They are now approaching the goal of 60 inpatient beds and are expanding partial hospital capacity to include pre-teens as well as teens.
“It’s been synergistic, where we’re really working hard to meet the need, but [we] still get overwhelmed at times,” Fanton said.
It’s a scramble to find more providers, new methods of treatment and the reasons behind the suffering of so many children.
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