HJBR May/Jun 2021

44 MAY / JUN 2021 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE COLUMN CHILDREN’S HEALTH Many children have lost relatives, neigh- bors and friends and are grieving the loss- es of not only these important people, but of anticipated events and opportunities. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, depression was affecting an increasing- ly large number of people, including our youngest and most vulnerable — children and adolescents. Alarmingly, suicide is the third leading cause of death for people aged 15-24 years. While one in five teen- agers suffers from depression, most never receive any formal treatment. Now, coupled with these alarming reali- ties before COVID-19, we are learning that fear and anxiety due to the global pandem- ic may lead to short-term as well as long- term psychosocial and mental health con- cerns in children and adolescents. Helping Children and Families COP E W I T H DE PR E S S I ON AND ANX I E T Y One Year After the Start of COVID-19 The past year has been a highly stressful time for children, adolescents and families aswe have dealt with theCOVID-19 pandemic. Now, more than one year since COVID-19 first touched our Louisiana communities, we have lived through and are still coping with disruptions to normal school life and learning environments, increased isolation, fewer opportunities for peer interactions and social growth, and stressors for many families’ health and financial stability.