Real (scary) data on teen mental health
You hear lots about the mental effects of the pandemic, but a lot of it isn’t linked to data. But get this — mental health insurance claims for US teens almost doubled over the last year as schools closed increased stress and loneliness.
This is specific stuff from Fair Health, not a series of general anecdotes about people being bummed out. Private health claims for self-harm (cutting, car crashing, attempted suicide) rose 99 per cent. That’s all the more incredible because the number of general health claims were actually lower. Interestingly — the trend isn’t the same in other countries.
FIX THIS: It’s common to hear about someone reaching out to get mental health help, only to find out the medical system doesn’t have time for them. The Canadian province of New Brunswick has a review of services after a teenager Lexi Daken killed herself not long after spending eight hours at a hospital before heading home in frustration. “”It can’t be acceptable that a person could go to the hospital and not get the care they need, that they be made to feel like a burden and pushed away,” the girl’s father told CBC.
AND THIS: Meanwhile, another Canadian (this time in Newfoundland) said it took three years from the time he asked for help before he got a call from a specialist. And when he did get an appointment, the doctor took him off sleeping pills and gave him a note to change to dayshifts. His work disagreed — now he’s unemployed. Companies are great when talking hypotheticals around mental health — but they aren’t so great about dealing with employees who actually have problems.
DRUG ALTERNATIVES: Some people don’t respond to drugs. Research is showing other methods — breathing, stillness — can be effective as well. One promising study recently showed you can actually see the changes in the brain when connected to a scanner.
BIPOLAR INFLAMMATION: Could bipolar mood swings be the results of inflammation of the brain? That’s always been a suspicion, but new research suggests a stronger link (even if there’s not a lot that can be done about it). “The findings are certainly intriguing, but the researchers warn there’s still a long road to go before we can confirm a clear, causal link between impaired astrocytes, IL-6, and bipolar disorder, much less something that could lead to meaningful new treatments.”
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