Last year, over two thousand children attempted suicide. The data for this year may be even more dramatic. We have already said many times how much there is a shortage of clinics and specialists. Unfortunately, this will not change any time soon. However, there is a lot that parents can do. What should we pay more attention to?
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The Emergency Department of the University Children's Hospital in Lublin has been visited by 160 children after suicide attempts since the beginning of the year until the end of July. Most of them are under 16. Doctors are shocked by the scale of the phenomenon.
– There have never been so many cases of poisoning in children as there are this year. Practically every shift in one of the wards admits a child after deliberately consuming medication, after drug poisoning – says Professor Magdalena Chrościńska-Krawczyk, head of the Pediatric Neurology Clinic at the University Children's Hospital in Lublin.
Children brought by ambulances, depending on the level of organ damage, are taken to the following departments: gastroenterology, nephrology, endocrinology, intensive care and neurology, to Professor Magdalena Chrościńska-Krawczyk.
“I often ask parents where their child got their medication?”
– If a patient comes to us after taking 30-40 tablets, i.e. entire packages of psychotropic drugs, I often ask the parents where the child got the drugs from? And the answer is often: “we trust the child, the child doses the drugs themselves” – says Magdalena Chrościńska-Krawczyk.
Children overdose on medications prescribed for them or for other family members. This is exactly what happened to a woman's 10-year-old daughter. The girl swallowed 50 antidepressant tablets that were simply stored in a cupboard at home.
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More and more young, professionally active Poles are facing a mental health crisisMarek Nowicki/Fakty TVN
– Our family member received these medications because he is undergoing treatment, and they were in the place where we keep medications. It is known that children do not take medications themselves, they have never done so, we have always given these medications, I would never have thought that something like this would happen – says the girl's mother.
The head of the Pediatric Neurology Clinic appeals, firstly, to parents to store medications at home in safe places and strictly control their issuance, and secondly, to the Ministry of Health to consider introducing restrictions on the sale of over-the-counter medications to minors. This applies primarily to non-pharmacy outlets: shops and petrol stations.
What worsens the mental condition of children and adolescents?
– There is limited access to energy drinks, let's think about access to over-the-counter medicines for children under 18. I realize that it is very difficult, but maybe it would be worth thinking about – points out Prof. Magdalena Chrościńska-Krawczyk.
The deterioration of the mental health of children and adolescents is influenced by, among other things, the weakening of family ties and the abuse of the Internet, especially social media. But these are just two problems from a long list. Scientists indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic also contributed to this: long social isolation and the coronavirus itself. By adversely affecting the central nervous system, it has intensified depressive and anxiety disorders.
– A child needs attention from its parents, conversation, and care – emphasizes Prof. Magdalena Chrościńska-Krawczyk. You may also need the help of a community mental health center. It is worth looking for one in the nearest city or county.
Main image source: TVN24