Advisory issued over youth mental health

The U.S. surgeon general Tuesday warned that young people are facing “devastating” mental health effects as a result of the challenges experienced by their generation, including the coronavirus pandemic.

The message came as part of a rare public advisory from the nation’s top physician, Dr. Vivek Murthy, in a 53-page report noting that the pandemic intensified mental health issues that were already widespread by spring 2020.

The report cited significant increases in self-reports of depression, anxiety and emergency room visits for mental health challenges. In the United States, emergency room visits for suicide attempts rose 51% for adolescent girls in early 2021 compared with the same period in 2019. The figure rose 4% for boys.

“Young people are bombarded with messages through the media and popular culture that erode their sense of self-worth — telling them they are not good-looking enough, popular enough, smart enough or rich enough,” Murthy wrote in the report. “That comes as progress on legitimate, and distressing, issues like climate change, income inequality, racial injustice, the opioid epidemic and gun violence feels too slow.”

Authorities and scientists widely acknowledge that there has been insufficient research into the underlying causes. Murthy’s advisory calls for more resources to be devoted to understanding and addressing mental health challenge.