Adolescent mental health, COVID-19, and the value of school-community partnerships

Abstract

Newly released 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System data and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC)'2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary and Trends Report show that US adolescents continue to suffer from poor mental health and suicidality at alarming rates. These data alone would be cause for concern, but the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to further erode adolescent mental health, particularly for those whose mental health was poor prior to the pandemic. Given the status of adolescent mental health prior to COVID-19 and the impact of COVID-19, health professionals and schools must partner together now to mitigate potentially deleterious health, mental health and education impacts for children and adolescents.

Keywords: adolescent; mental health; school; suicide/self-harm.