Ask them, “What happened to you?”

KEY POINTS

  • The trauma of COVID-19 has affected the mental health of millions of young people.
  • Trauma-informed care enables caregivers to understand an individual’s entire life situation and treat them accordingly.
  • Shortages of child and adolescent mental health professionals are compromising trauma-informed care.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a toll on individuals and groups around the world, from frontline health care professionals to service workers to the elderly to entire families decimated by the virus. However, there is a large, traumatized cohort that requires more attention: our youth. How do we help young people cope with the upheaval in their lives due to the coronavirus, on top of the many other traumas they experience? This is a challenge we must address sooner rather than later with…