Posted on January 10, 2022
Hundreds of thousands of kids have lost a parent or primary caregiver to COVID-19 and need support services, mental health experts say, with communities of color particularly devastated. Psychologists say this loss has caused an uptick in anxiety, depression, trauma- and stress-related disorders in some children. "As we move forward through this pandemic, I don't want people to feel as though, if the pandemic is getting better, then the youth mental health issue will go away," said Dr. Christine Crawford, associate medical director of NAMI. "The reality is that's not the case, because this crisis preexisted COVID. And it's even more dire in these rural areas because there is hardly any mental health support in place."
READ MORENAMI HelpLine is available M-F, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. ET. Call 800-950-6264,
text “helpline” to 62640, or chat online. In a crisis, call or text 988 (24/7).
