New England states strive to address impact of pandemic on adolescents

Pandemics tend to exacerbate mental health issues. At least, in our experience, this one has.
The first year of the pandemic saw a quadruple increase in adults reporting symptoms of anxiety or depression according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, with negative impacts on sleeping, eating, alcohol consumption or substance use, and worsening chronic conditions.
It's a trend that holds true for adolescents as well. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a reported 37 percent of high school students experienced poor mental health since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 44 percent saying they felt persistently sad or hopeless during the past year. The CDC also reports that among children ages 10 to 14, suicide is now...