By Rebecca Duffy

QUINCY (WGEM) - New research shows a big jump in emergency room visits for #children with #suicideattempts.

According to the #NationalInstituteofMentalHealth, the number of #teenage #girls admitted saw a 50 percent increase from 2019 to this year, with remote learning being a factor.

Many #schools were in a fully-remote or hybrid learning mode from March of 2020 through last #school year.

Tara Hamann with Transitions of Western Illinois, who deals with #mentalhealth, said the lack of face-to-face interaction caused more #students to feel depressed.

“One of the big key factors that we notice is that there is a decline in their social relationships. They disengage. They quit spending time with them. And so when I think that naturally gets taken away from them, as the #pandemic did, I think it creates feelings of #depression,” she said.

Quincy #HighSchool has #counselors, #psychologists, and a #school social worker to make sure #students are in a good place mentally to stay in #school.

QHS social worker Morgan Fox said it does not surprise her that remote learning is a factor, as she’s seen a lot of #students struggling this school year.

“#School is obviously a lot about academics, but it’s also about social-emotional learning and socializing with your peers so being out of #school for that long doesn’t surprise me that #students are struggling,” Fox said.

#JamesDonaldson notes:

Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.

Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.

Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.  #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle

Hamann said for some #students, going back to in-person learning after being virtual has also been an issue for their #mentalhealth.

“Now that all of those things are being thrown back in, trying to manage all of those things, and the social aspect of it, so I think that it creates a lot of #anxiety and pressure,” Hamann said.

Hamann said Transitions screens people in a #psychiatric crisis to see if they’d be better served in a hospital setting.

She said they have screened around 700 people this year, many who were kids struggling with issues related to the #pandemic.

Fox said while they respect #student confidentiality, if a #student is severely struggling and might attempt #suicide, their #parents will be notified.

If you need help, or know someone who does, call the #NationalSuicidePreventionHotline at 1(800) 273-8255.

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https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2022/02/jamesdonaldson-on-mentalhealth-more-kids-hospitalized-for-suicideattempts-some-blame-remote-learning/