Post-pandemic mental health issues rise in youth

With the onset of the pandemic more than two years in the rear-view mirror, Anne Esquivel, president and founder of San Antonio-based children’s counseling practice Mind Works, said the lasting effects of it all are still being felt to this day. “In a functional family, a lot of them just became closer through the pandemic,” Esquivel said. “However, for other families where there’s domestic violence, child abuse, drug and alcohol issues, now those kids didn’t have any escape from that.” In 2021, about 37% of high school students reported that they experienced poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. About 44% reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless, an 8% rise from 2019, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC also reported a 24% increase in mental health-related emergency department visits during 2020 in those 5-11 years old and a 31% increase in those 12-17 years old. In line with the nationwide trend of emergency department visits, Communities in Schools of Central Texas—a local branch of the nationwide nonprofit aimed at supporting students through various resource outlets—also reported a higher number of students at risk for suicide or self harm needing intervention during the 2019-20 school year. Though the number of students in need of intervention decreased between the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years, the number of mental health and supportive guidance hours fluctuated. “Mental health is individuals who are in crisis or have severe mental health needs. Guidance and counseling can be a lighter touch than the intense mental health, so it’s talking about setting goals, talking to someone about how to self-regulate, providing technique and tools,” said Sharon Vigil, CIS chief operations and equity officer. “It’s all connected.”