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I think this article is really important to absorb, and I say that as someone who has done several stories about child and adolescent mental health during the pandemic. 1/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/04/pandemic-suicide-crisis-unsupported-data/618660/
I do think that it doesn't really elucidate the difference between a suicide "cluster" and a "wave." Clark County NV looks like a cluster. That is a real phenomenon and a real public health problem. 2/
That said, mental health professionals who work with youth have reached out to me proactively all year to say that they are concerned. 3/ https://www.npr.org/2021/03/24/980776808/how-to-talk-and-listen-to-a-teen-with-mental-health-struggles
Concerned about suicidality (not suicides) including in very young children. Severe depression, eating disorders, cutting + ADHD that presents almost as mania with too much screen time. 4/
Maybe there are more kids seeking mental health care, not an actual rise in mental health problems. That would be a good thing! 5/
If teen suicide is the dog that didn't bark, it's also a good idea to look at protective factors. Like more time with family, and more time to sleep in in the morning. https://www.jaacap.org/article/S0890-8567(20)32212-7/fulltext
As I'm writing my book The Stolen Year about kids and COVID, I am definitely open to continuing to be surprised by the data, and yes, by kids' resilience. /end
