Adolescent girls were severely affected by pandemic stress, find Western researchers

The greatest increase in emergency department visits for mental health was among adolescent females, finds study. (Dimaberlin/Envato Elements) New study finds Canadian children's visits to the ER for mental health concerns increased during the pandemic By Lawson Research Communications, Special to Western News, September 19, 2023 A new study led by researchers at Western and Lawson Health Research Institute has found adolescent emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations for suicidal thoughts, self-harm and self-poisoning increased across Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among adolescent girls. Researchers from Pediatric Emergency Research Canada (PERC), a network of 15 pediatric hospitals across Canada, looked at national data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) on ED visits and hospitalizations among adolescents between the ages of 10 and 18 from April 2015 to March 2022. "Hospital admissions for suicidal ideation, self-poisoning and self-harm increased significantly in the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Dr. Naveen Poonai , professor at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and scientist at Lawson Health Research Institute. "What came as a surprise to us is that the greatest increase was among adolescent females, a demographic that is often overlooked.