Hospital officials say the number of children being admitted after a suicide attempt has tripled since this time last year, and referrals to the hospital’s eating disorders program have increased by 90 per cent since last spring.“The longer that students remain out of the classroom, the worrisome health trends we are seeing will increase exponentially and potentially cause irreparable damage to an entire generation,” writes Bruce Squires, president of McMaster Children’s Hospital.“Even a few weeks in the classroom will provide the much-needed mental health, educational, and social benefits our children desperately need at the end of this disrupted school year.”Dr.