Canadian teens still struggling with mental health even as pandemic wanes – CBC

Researcher says latest findings are ‘alarming’ and more support is needed

Feb 26, 2023

When 16-year-old Abbey Keays thinks back to the early days of the pandemic — the lockdowns and online schooling — she can’t help but reflect on what she and other teens have lost.

“During the pandemic, I personally felt a lot of negative emotions and some issues with my mental health,” she said in an interview from her home in Hamilton, Ont.

“I think it’s because we lost so much of what we were hoping our life to be.”

Three years later, even as the pandemic wanes, Keays said she sees a lot of teens still struggling.

Clinicians say their needs continue to outweigh the services available to help.

“If you look at the different studies done since COVID-19, there has been a crisis — a mental health crisis — impacting children and youth,” said Dr. Stacey Bélanger, an expert in pediatric mental health at Sainte-Justine Hospital in Montreal.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/canadian-teens-mental-health-1.6759486