The easing of sanitary measures in schools is already having positive repercussions as far as the hospital.
At the CHU Sainte-Justine, adolescents in crisis suffering from serious eating disorders are much less numerous than last spring. The adolescent medicine team is delighted and, above all, implores decision-makers to avoid the return to distance school at all costs, even if the pandemic takes off again.
During the pandemic – more particularly between January and June – the number of young people in crisis hospitalized at CHU Sainte-Justine due to eating disorders has tripled compared to the usual figure. “During the spring of 2021, there were more than 30 adolescents hospitalized for an eating disorder, this was unheard of in the history of the hospital! In fact, 40% of pediatric hospital patients were adolescents in crisis due to eating disorders and other mental health issues, ”recalls Dr.r Olivier Jamoulle, pediatrician specializing in adolescent medicine at CHU Sainte-Justine.
These were mostly adolescents aged 11 to 18 struggling with eating disorders manifested by a complete and categorical refusal to eat, excessive weight loss or severe bradycardia (an excessively high heart rate). slow). “There were also young people voicing vague medical complaints, such as stomach aches or physical symptoms that were difficult to explain medically and which turned out to be psychological discomfort. Adolescents have also been seen in depression or suffering from anxiety, some of whom had thoughts of suicide or [avaient] makes suicide attempts ”, specifies the specialist.
According to the Sainte-Justine team, this growth in cases was “mainly due to the health measures of the pandemic”. “The young people suffered from not having a school in the presence or being there only every other day, from no longer playing sports, no longer seeing their friends, no longer having their usual landmarks and postmen. protectors. So many elements that had repercussions on their adolescent social life, ”explains the one who is also the head of the section of adolescent medicine at the CHU.
Summer embellishment
“But good news: since August, we have seen a good decrease in the number of adolescents hospitalized and in crisis; there are only about ten of them when it comes to eating disorders. We are falling back to our usual figures before the pandemic, ”says Dr.r Jamoulle cautiously, given the short time elapsed since the start of the school year.
“It’s a big change that can potentially be attributed to the lifting of sanitation measures, which allowed young people to see their friends, have summer jobs and go back to school full time. This return to presence allowed them to resume their daily habits. The fact of being in school full time is very structuring for young people, who find the landmarks of their normal life, ”he explains.
The Dr Jamoulle acknowledges that there are nonetheless some young people suffering from social anxiety who have appreciated the confinement and distance classes and who find it difficult to return to school, but “this perception should diminish in the coming weeks” , he said.
The weight of confinement
“The link seems clear to us between the big drop in hospitalizations of adolescents in crisis, on the one hand, and the return to school and the lifting of health constraints, on the other hand. It is therefore essential to avoid at all costs a re-containment – or at least, distance education – which would be a disaster for young people and which would possibly make us relive a situation that is at least as intense, if not worse, ”insists Dr.r Jamoulle on behalf of his team.
“Even if the pandemic resumes, policymakers need to remember that there was this silent wave of young people in great pain who found themselves hospitalized. They will have to take it into account more than ever if difficult decisions have to be taken “, he insists while stressing that” vaccination is a very powerful tool to avoid reverting to draconian measures such as confinement “.
“The adolescents have been incredible during this pandemic: not only have they been directly affected by the health measures, but they have also collaborated extremely well in the application of the health measures and they respond present to the vaccination”, notes the pediatrician. . Indeed, according to data as of September 13 presented on the VaccinTrackerQC website, 90% of young people aged 12 to 17 in Quebec have received a first dose of vaccine and 77% are doubly vaccinated.
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