Even though the pandemic has declined in our country, we still see an increase in mental health issues and challenges faced by young teenagers. A lot of young children and teenagers, had to adapt to the rapid change in their education system, and adjust to the new ways of school. This included virtual and distance-learning, which played a negative result in mini different ways. Without being able to be social within a classroom and around other peers, it forced young children, and teenagers to be inside of a bubble for a few intricate years of their life.
Although we have already seen the the high rates of anxiety and depression among the youth but new studies now show that the brains of these young children and teenagers may have aged throughout the pandemic.
According to research done at Stanford University , researchers analyzed MRI scans of teenagers, between the ages of 13 to 18, before and after the pandemic.
The results show that teenagers brains looked about three years older in comparison to before the pandemic. Ian Gotlib, professor of psychology at Stanford University stated: “It confirms the stress that they experienced during the pandemic effected not only their mental health but their brain as well.”
There is not a perfect solution on how to fix this issue, but being able to identify this issue among teenagers helps us develop different strategies of how we are going to solve this problem and decrease mental health and depression amongst teenagers.
On many occasions, until now, children and teenagers often faced brain and mental issues and situations resulting from trauma. During the pandemic, children were more exposed to economic challenges, racial injustice, and social isolation.
Going forward, researchers aim to find different ways to tackle mental health issues amongst teenagers showing positive upside in the research, which they hope to direct into results.
If you know anybody who may be experiencing or dealing with mental health, issues or depression, please contact the local doctor or wellness physician and get help immediately.
