The Human Cost of the Covid-19 Freak-Out By Mrs Vera West

Regardless of the debates about the nature of Covid-19, the human effects are real, even if there was no virus at all, not that I am claiming that.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/16/health/teen-mental-health-pandemic-wellness/index.html

“Nearly half of parents reported their teenagers faced new or worsening mental health conditions since the pandemic began, a new poll has found. 

A survey of 977 parents with children ages 13 to 18 analyzed teen mental health conditions like anxiety, depression and aggressive behavior during the pandemic. The national poll, conducted by Ipsos for C.S. Mott Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan Medical School, looked at how parents were helping teens cope and whether they believed their strategies were successful. 

The restrictions to control the spread of Covid-19 have kept teens at home "at the age they were primed to seek independence from their families," said poll co-director Dr. Gary Freed, who is the Percy and Mary Murphy professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan.

The pandemic has severely disrupted their lives, Freed said, pointing to the cancellation of school activities and the inability to hang out with friends due to social distancing.

Not surprisingly, many teens are feeling "frustrated, anxious and disconnected" as a result. 

Three in four parents surveyed said Covid-19 had negatively impacted their teens' ability to socialize with their friends nearly every day.”