Concern over kids' mental health during pandemic

(12 Mar 2021) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4315421 Doctors say the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the mental health of children is alarming and plain to see. France's busiest pediatric hospital has seen a doubling in the number of children and young teenagers requiring treatment after attempted suicides. Doctors elsewhere report similar surges, with children — some as young as 8 — deliberately running into traffic, overdosing on pills and otherwise self-harming. In Japan, child and adolescent suicides hit record levels in 2020. Pediatric psychiatrists say they're also seeing children with coronavirus-related phobias, tics and eating disorders. Some are obsessing about infection, scrubbing their hands raw and covering their bodies with disinfectant gel.   Also increasingly common, doctors say, are children suffering panic attacks, heart palpitations and other symptoms of mental anguish, and others with chronic addictions to mobile devices and computer screens that have become their sitters, teachers, and entertainers during lockdowns, curfews and school closures. One doctor says "the crisis affects all of us, from age 2 to 99." Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   Google+: https://plus.google.com/b/10201102858... Tumblr: https://aparchives.tumblr.com/​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...