Mental health hospitalization rates rose for Canadian children and youth between ages 5 and 24 years in 2020, despite a slight decrease in the overall number of hospital visits, according to new data. Hospitalizations for eating disorders increased significantly, rising nearly 60% for girls between ages 10 and 17 years. “One of the key questions … Read more
Eating disorders are among the most prevalent, disabling, and potentially fatal psychiatric illnesses, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated their burden, with a 15.3% increase in incidence in 2020 compared with previous years.1 This increase was almost difficult among adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa (AN), which is often insidious in onset and more difficult to … Read more
Just days after Russia invaded Ukraine, child and adolescent psychiatrist Dennis Ougrin, MBBS, PhD, and his wife Roxanne Litynska, who are both originally from Lviv, drove their car full of critical cargo from London to Przemyśl — a Polish border town that was experiencing a huge influx of refugees fleeing the war. The vehicle was … Read more
When a recent study from Columbia University reported that suicide and self-harm were nearly four times more likely in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) than in the general population, the findings were sobering. But to many in the field, they were not surprising. Previous analyzes showed individuals with ASD were up to six times … Read more
Fetal abnormalities in the urinary system, heart, brain and elsewhere, detected via prenatal ultrasound, may signal autism spectrum disorder (ASD), new research suggests. Results of a retrospective study showed ultrasound in the second trimester identified ASD at a rate more than three times higher than in typically developing children. Dr Idan Menashe “This study shows … Read more
This month’s column is driven by the recent increase of youth in crisis, and COVID-19–related limitations of higher-level services. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth1 and populations who face discrimination are at increased risk.2,3 A pediatrician colleague recently asked me about how to support patients who may be at risk. With … Read more
