THERE NEEDS TO BE A BETTER
NATIONAL STRATEGY.
AND I'M NOT SEEING PEOPLE
UNDERSTANDING THAT.
THIS YEAR, FOR FAMILIES THE
CHILD CARE ISSUES, THE FINANCIAL
ISSUES, SO MANY CHALLENGES FOR
FAMILIES.
AND PARENTS ARE WORRYING
ABOUT THEIR KIDS.
HOW ARE THEY DOING WITH
COVID-19, SOCIAL DISTANCING,
DISTANCE LEARNING, HYBRID
LEARNING?
WORLD MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS
DAY IS ON SATURDAY.
HERE TO GIVE US INSIGHT FOR
FAMILIES IS A DOCTOR WHO IS A
PEDIATRIC PSYCHOLOGIST.
WHY DON'T WE START WITH HOW ARE
KIDS DOING?
WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM KIDS
ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF THE
PANDEMIC?
KIDS IN GENERAL ARE REALLY
STRUGGLING WITH THE PANDEMIC.
THE PANDEMIC HAS TAKEN A
SIGNIFICANT TOLL ON THE MENTAL
HEALTH OF MOST KIDS, AT LEAST TO
SOME DEGREE.
WE KNOW THAT ANXIETY AND STRESS
TEND TO INCREASE WHEN PEOPLE
FEEL LIKE THEY DO NOT HAVE A
SENSE OF CONTROL OR THEY DO NOT
KNOW WHAT'S EXPECTED.
THAT IS THE GENERAL STATE OF
THINGS WITH THE PANDEMIC.
FOR KIDS DOING DISTANCE
LEARNING, THEY HAVE THE ADDED
DIFFICULTY OF NOT BEING ABLE TO
HAVE THEIR REGULAR SOCIAL
CONNECTIONS THAT THEY NORMALLY
HAVE.
SO NOT HAVING THE
INTERACTIONS WITH PEERS AT
SCHOOL, NOT SEEING TEACHERS AND
COACHES, NOT BEING INVOLVED IN
THE ACTIVITIES THEY NORMALLY DO.
FOR THE KIDS DOING THE HYBRID
AND IN-PERSON LEARNING, THEY
HAVE MORE OF THE CONNECTIONS.
THAT'S POSITIVE.
BUT MANY OF THE KIDS ARE WORRIED
ABOUT THE INCREASED EXPOSURE TO
THE VIRUS.
AND SCHOOL DOES NOT
LOOK LIKE IT USED TO WORK.
THE KIDS ARE WEARING MASKS AND
THERE'S NOT AS MORE ACTIVITIES.
KIDS ARE GRIEVING WITH WHAT
SCHOOL USED TO LOOK LIKE.
AND HOW DOES ANXIETY AND
DEPRESSION MANIFEST IN CHILDREN?
WE SEE INCREASED SENSE OF
ISOLATION.
WE SEE KIND OF DISTANCING FROM
THEIR FAMILIES.
WE SEE SOME BEHAVIOR STRUGGLES
WITH YOUNGER KIDS.
THE YOUNGER KIDS MAY NOT BE ABLE
TO TELL THEIR PARENTS THAT
THEY'RE STRUGGLING.
THEY'RE SEEING THE ACTING OUT
AND BEHAVIOR CHANGES.
WHAT CAN PARENTS DO IF
THEY'RE RECOGNIZING THE SIGNS?
PARENTS CAN TAKE A TIP FROM
THIS YEAR.
THEY NEED TO DO -- THEY NEED TO
THINK ABOUT A NEW NORMAL.
LAST YEAR, THINGS WERE
DIFFERENT.
IT WAS A CRISIS.
THIS YEAR, PARENTS NEED TO
REALLY CREATE A STRUCTURE.
THEY NEED TO CREATE A DAILY
ROUTINE FOR KIDS SO THAT THEY
CAN HAVE A SENSE OF
PREDICTABILITY.
THE OTHER THING THAT
PARENTS SHOULD BE DOING IS
CHECKING IN WITH THEIR KIDS'
MENTAL HEALTH ON A REGULAR
BASIS.
SEE HOW THEY'RE COPING.
AND
PARENTS SHOULD LOOKING AT THEIR
OWN MENTAL HEALTH AND TAKING
CARE OF THEMSELVES AND GETTING
THE SUPPORT THEY NEED.
WHEN PARENTS ARE FUNCTIONING
WELL, THEIR KIDS ARE GOING TO DO
BETTER.
.
RIGHT.
AND I THINK THAT'S A LOT OF
THINGS THAT PARENTS ARE TAKING
HEART IS UNDERSTANDING THEY NEED
TO TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES.
FOR KIDS THAT EVEN BEFORE THE
PANDEMIC WERE STRUGGLING WITH
DEPRESSION OR ANXIETY, IS THIS
JUST MAGNIFIED FOR THEM NOW?
ABSOLUTELY.
KIDS WHO HAVE HAD MENTAL HEALTH
STRUGGLES PREVIOUSLY ARE AT
GREATER RISK RIGHT NOW.
FOR EXAMPLE, KIDS WHO STRUGGLE
WITH DEPRESSION ARE MORE LIKELY
TO BE ISOLATED AND NOT GET THE
SOCIAL SUPPORT THEY NEED.
AND
KIDS WHO HAVE ANXIETY HAVE MORE
TO BE WORRIED ABOUT.
KIDS WITH ADHD WILL HAVE TROUBLE
STAYING FOCUSED, ESPECIALLY WITH
THE DISTANCE LEARNING AND
HYBRID.
MANY OF THE KIDS BEFORE THE
PANDEMIC GOT THEIR MENTAL HEALTH
CARE THROUGH THE SYSTEM.
ONE OF THE BIG CONCERNS IS THEY
MAY NOT HAVE THE ACCESS THAT
THEY HAD BEFORE TO GETTING THE
MENTAL HEALTH CARE THAT THEY
NEED.
AND THERE ARE RESOURCES OUT
THERE FOR THE CHILDREN.
WE'LL PUT THOSE ON OUR WEBSITE