Doctors at a North Texas children’s hospital say they’ve seen an “alarming” rise in juvenile suicide patients as children struggle with coronavirus lockdowns and school closures.
“We see kids every day telling us they’re struggling,” Dr. Kia Carter, a medical director of psychiatry at Cook Children’s, said about the increase in juvenile suicides that the hospital says amounted to roughly one new patient per day in August, according to KTVT News.
The hospital admitted 29 children in August following attempted suicides, and it has admitted 192 this year, which is more than double the amount admitted during the same time period five years ago.
Carter believes the delayed return to normal life and schooling has contributed to the hopelessness that children are expressing when they are admitted.
Doctors and hospitals across the country have reported increases in self-harm incidents, including suicides and drug overdoses, since the coronavirus lockdowns began in March.
A study conducted earlier this year by Just Facts concluded that the anxiety and social disruption stemming from the lockdowns could destroy seven times more years of human lives than can be saved by strict lockdowns.
