"Young people are facing unprecedented mental health challenges while our healthcare system remains ill-equipped to meet the need. For primary care pediatricians, annual visits-intended for anticipatory guidance, routine health maintenance, and immunizations-are often eclipsed by urgent mental health concerns. Anxiety, depression, disordered eating, ADHD, substance use, and self-injurious behaviors often consume appointment time. The social isolation and uncertainty of the early pandemic years only amplified this crisis."
"While we rely on psychiatrists, therapists, and school counselors to direct treatment, the demand for mental health services exceeds the available workforce. Pediatricians often find themselves managing conversations, prescribing medications, and bridging the gap in care. Over time, many of us have become more confident in addressing mental health complaints, but these encounters often require more time, patience, and emotional reserves than treating respiratory illnesses, developmental concerns, or musculoskeletal injuries-especially when referral resources are scarce."
Young people are experiencing unprecedented mental health challenges while healthcare systems remain ill-equipped to meet demand. Primary care pediatricians face urgent mental health concerns during routine visits, with anxiety, depression, disordered eating, ADHD, substance use, and self-injury consuming appointment time. The COVID-19 pandemic increased social isolation and uncertainty, amplifying the crisis. Pediatricians have expanded roles to manage conversations, prescribe medications, and bridge gaps due to scarce specialty resources. These encounters demand more time, patience, and emotional reserves, contributing to clinician exhaustion and burnout. Studying the psychology of happiness and neuroscience foundations suggests self-compassion offers practical, teachable strategies to benefit children and adults.
Read at Psychology Today
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