The COVID-19 pandemic has rightly directed attention to the physical and public health needs of the population, with most concern being focused on elderly and vulnerable people. However, there is another population group for whom the pandemic, and a likely subsequent recession, will have a significant negative impact, even if they are considered to be less susceptible to the worst excesses of coronavirus. That group is children and young people.1
Children, teenagers, and young adults may not be facing the physical ravages of COVID-19 in the same way as older people, but some have been experiencing emotional and psychological consequences of lockdown and societal disruption.2 This article describes what impact COVID-19 is having on this age group, what to watch for in primary care, and how best to support them and their carers.
. Remember that mental ill health was already on the rise
It is important to bear in mind that, even before COVID-19 came along, ‘the kids were not alright’ (to misquote The Who). There has been a steady rise in demand for mental health support for young people over the last few years. Child and adolescent mental health services have often struggled to keep up with demand;3 consequently, primary care may be expected to support more complex and challenging casework. The reasons behind this increase in mental health concerns among young people are complicated,4 but the key point is that anxiety, self-harm, and eating disorders were already rising.5–7 Then along came a pandemic, lockdown, and a titanic rise in uncertainty, which breeds anxiety. Lockdown led to changes in living circumstances, disruption to education, and restricted access t