Children at risk of post-traumatic stress disorder because of Covid pandemic, report warns

Children are at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of living through the Covid-19 pandemic, councillors have been told. The number of young people across Salford suffering from mental health problems increased from a ratio of one in nine to one in six during the global coronavirus crisis.

The extent of the problem was laid bare at the city's health and social care scrutiny panel, where there was an update on the Thrive Plan, set up to improve the emotional health and wellbeing of youngsters. The report said that children living through Covid-19 "should be considered at elevated risk of developing PTSD".

Research has shown there has been an increase in depressive and anxious symptoms as a result of the pandemic caused by social isolation, anxiety about illness, uncertainty about the future and strained family relationships, it said. The report, presented by Debbie Blackburn, assistant director of public health nursing and wellbeing and children's services commissioning, said there had been a surge in demand for services with more acute and complex needs among young people who have been either referred to mental health services or sought to access them.

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It goes on: "The pandemic has continued to have a significant and ongoing impact on our residents, and for many children and young people and families in Salford has caused tremendous disruption to everyone's lives and has heightened distress and anxieties and resulted in increased mental health needs." The Thrive team supported 465 children and young people in its first year from October 2020.

Mental health support teams