School closures. Family strains. Isolated and quarantined friends. Even when young people haven’t directly experienced COVID-19, the pandemic has strained their mental health. Often severely. Even before the recent wave of omicron-related cases, a coalition that included the American Academy of Pediatrics declared a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health. Its October statement reported “soaring rates of mental health challenges among children, adolescents and their families.” In December, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy addressed the crisis with a report that said young people face “devastating” mental health challenges. All of it may leave parents asking some important questions. |