Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic’s Effect on Child and Adolescent Mental Health: Analysis of Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Service

The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic has contributed to a co-occurring psychiatric epidemic. Children and adolescents have been particularly impacted, with disruptions in continuity of learning healthcare. Psychological stressors such as fear infection, boredom, decreased socialization, supply shortages, incomplete information low mood, irritability, insomnia, emotional exhaustion. Our study contributes this research by quantifying the devastating toll that COVID isolation period virtual schooling had on mental health children. Loyola University Medical Center (LUMC) Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Service (CLP) (Maywood, IL) designed identify analyze data regarding total number CLP consult requests, patient presentations emergency department (ED), admissions Pediatrics floor Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) during pandemic. IRB approval was obtained for retrospective chart review study. ED visits floor/PICU all pediatric patients (6-18 years old), specifically those related health, were identified using ICD-9 diagnostic coding dates March 2019 through February 2022. encounter diagnoses analyzed compared between 3 periods: Pre-pandemic phase (March 2019-February 2020), acute phase: isolation/virtual 2020-February 2021), chronic post-isolation/virtual 2021-February 2022). During phase, via manual existing lists. admissions, along encounters, periods further subcategorized into intentional drug overdoses. In pre-pandemic there 39,304 encounters children years), 11,189 ED-only visits, 3,043 inpatient admissions. fell 15,779, 4,631 2,578 Pre-pandemic, 0.55% required psychiatry consults 1.32% after onset 27 PICU psychiatric-related conditions (i.e. ingestion) or 4.52% period, 57 11.19% Specifically, rise ingestion cases from 25 prior 44 43 conditions. Of 33 Total comparable (39,304 vs. 32,544 phase).At large academic medical center, clear impact Findings can be used inform public policy develop guidelines preparation future pandemics. Safeguards should put place address significant effects social children, including but not limited widespread therapy sessions incorporated school day socially distanced in-person activities when safe.