An “epidemic hidden in a pandemic”.1(np) That is what Andrea Raby, D.O. of Bayless Integrated Healthcare, calls the threat to our youth who are now at increased risk of substance use disorder and overdose in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is always a vulnerable time during this period in their growth, in their development, in their growth of their identity, and often times what helps our adolescent population is structure and predictability and of course with COVID, this renders everything the opposite”.1(np) Transitioning to remote or hybrid classes, social lives put on pause, canceled athletics, and extracurricular activities leave some teens looking for ways to numb the pain.
Dr. Raby is not alone in her concerns. Many experts believe the pandemic could lead to a nationwide spike in substance use disorders as people struggle with the anxieties and uncertainties borne of the pandemic. As much as we would like to believe that our young people are somehow protected from these temptations, in truth, no group is more vulnerable.