Post-Pandemic Trends in Pediatric Mental Health Treatment: A Nationwide Study.
Pediatric psychotropic medication use rose 35% after the pandemic began.
Post-Pandemic Trends in Pediatric Mental Health Treatment: A Nationwide Study.
This study examined temporal trends in mental health diagnoses and treatment patterns among children and adolescents across the COVID-19 pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic periods in the United States.
This retrospective cohort study used the TriNetX U.
Medication prescribing for children's mental health stayed higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Incidence rates declined sharply during early pandemic lockdowns, rebounded by March 2021, and remained elevated post-pandemic.
Antidepressants had the largest increases (58%-94%), with female children and adolescents showing steeper rises (65%-137%) compared with male children and adolescents (41%-57%).
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication use also increased, with the greatest rise in preschoolers (147%), whereas male adolescents showed minimal change or decreases.
Among treatment-engaged youth, adolescents had higher antidepressant use (32%-36%) and hydroxyzine use (7%-10%), with reduced benzodiazepine use (7%-4%).
Substantial and sustained increases in pediatric behavioral health treatment persisted beyond the acute pandemic period, concentrated among female individuals and driven primarily by antidepressant prescribing.
These patterns warrant monitoring and targeted interventions to address sex disparities and persistent racial and ethnic inequities.