Battling a national crisis

Greetings. The number of children with mental health issues (eg, anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, worsening attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) was skyrocketing for several years before the pandemic, and now, in our third year of grappling with COVID-19, these cases are expected to rise even further. This has culminated in a national mental health crisis in the pediatric population, the likes of which has never been seen before. In this month’s Contemporary Pediatrics®, we focus on this issue in a special section. Must-read articles feature the following:

• Guiding principles in managing pediatric mental health issues. This article, written by Peter S. Jensen, MD, the founder of the REACH Institute, shares guiding principles in caring for children and adolescents with mental health issues.
• Screening adolescents for psychosocial concerns. The authors here offer validated screening measures to assess patients who are presenting with anxiety and/or depression. This piece was cowritten by one of the Editorial Advisory Board members of Contemporary Pediatrics®, Michael S. Jellinek, MD.
• Helping children grieve the loss of a caregiver due to COVID-19. It is estimated that, to date, more than 175,000 children in the United States have lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19. Offering important details on the support that these children need to cope with their loss, this was written by Candice Jones, MD, another member of the Contemporary Pediatrics® Editorial Advisory Board.
• How pediatricians can help mitigate the mental health crisis. Find out how to proactively support pediatric mental health services, an underfunded area with limited resources.

Thank you for providing outstanding care to your patients during these rapidly changing times. As the title of a book by Robert H. Schuller states, “Tough times never last, but tough people do.”

Please stay safe and well. And as always, I welcome your suggestions, comments, and questions.

With warm regards,

Tina Q. Tan