Health reporter William Wan examines one of the unseen effects of the pandemic on people’s lives — the emotional and psychological toll of all that’s happened.

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Almost a year into a pandemic, we’re all aware of what the coronavirus can do to our bodies. More than 250,000 Americans have died. Millions of people around the world are sick.

But there are other, non-physical effects, too — the emotional and psychological toll of isolation, constant fear and loss, especially on young adults. That’s what Ted Robbins wants you to understand:

“What they told me was: ‘You as a parent don’t realize how bad it is for the youth today. You don’t realize how many of Christian’s friends have contemplated suicide. You don’t realize how depressed we are. You don’t realize how hard this is.’ ”

Months after the loss of his son to suicide, Robbins spoke with health reporter William Wan and producer Rennie Svirnovskiy about the conversations we’re still not having about mental health — and about the changes we’ll need to make if we’re going to get through this pandemic.

“I can’t bring Christian back,” Robbins said. “No matter how much I want to or I try, I can’t bring him back. But what I can do is try to save other children.”

If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK, or 800-273-8255. You can also text a crisis counselor by messaging the Crisis Text Line at 741741.

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The invisible public health crisis