HealthDay News – American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines provide recommendations to help pediatricians support the emotional and behavioral needs of children, adolescents, and families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Given that pre-existing emotional and behavioral health problems and differences have been acutely exacerbated by the pandemic, the authors address the importance of support for the emotional and behavioral health of infants, children, adolescents and families.
According to the guidelines, children in different age groups and with different developmental needs responded differently to the pandemic, with one in four adolescents worldwide suffering from clinically elevated symptoms of depression and one in five suffering from anxiety. Pediatricians should continue to inquire about the functioning of children, adolescents and families in several areas during the pandemic. As the pandemic has had a significant economic impact, assessing social determinants of health, including food insecurity and unstable housing, becomes an additional priority; This is especially true for historically underserved population groups. Pediatricians should recognize that emotional and behavioral symptoms in children may be related to COVID-19-related exposures and events, and they should use open-ended surveillance questions to identify COVID-19-related trauma. Every visit to the practice should include behavioral and psychological monitoring as well as evidence-based screening. In addition, it is crucial to inquire with parents / carers about their own emotional responses to the pandemic and the effects it has on the family.
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“We need to improve timely access to evidence-based mental health care,” Lee Beers, MD, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said in a statement. “This means that psychological support is being built into our primary care offices, schools and other facilities.”
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Subjects:
COVID19 General Practice Neurobehavioral Disorders Neurodegenerative Disorders Pediatrics
