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| MENTAL HEALTH OF CHILDREN AMID COVID-19 | | |
Dr Iqbal Malik
The coronavirus pandemic—and the lockdown that many countries have implemented have caused disruptions to daily routines, these disruptions have not barely been economical but religious, political and social too. As of May 15, 2020, schools have been suspended nationwide in 192 countries, over 90% of enrolled learners (1•5 billion young people) worldwide are now out of education. The UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay warned that “the global scale and speed of the current educational disruption is unparalleled”.
In the COVID-19 pandemic, it appears likely that there will be substantial increases in anxiety and depression, substance use, loneliness, and domestic violence; and with schools closed, there is a very real possibility of an epidemic of child abuse. This concern is significant in case of India where mental health is already a very undermined subject. While the literature is not clear about the science of population level prevention, it leads us to conclude that certain steps, taken now, can help us proactively prepare for the inevitable increase in mental health conditions and associated sequelae that are the consequences of this pandemic.
The most vulnerable section in these affairs is that of children. The Covid lockdown is preventing children to go out of their homes and so they are more prone to stress and depression because of the non-stop access they will have to the internet and online games.
More and more kids are spending an increased time on social media and online games, the shutting down of school and playgrounds have left the children with nothing much to and they have left themselves vulnerable to various online instruments. One of the most dangerous platforms these days is PUBG, it is a highly addictive online game which is increasingly being played by teens and adolescents, the interaction in the game when not monitored can be dangerous and lead to stress and mental issues amongst kids.
Children and teens react, in part, on what they see from the adults around them. When parents and caregivers deal with the COVID-19 calmly and confidently, they can provide the best support for their children. Parents can be more reassuring to others around them, especially children, if they are better prepared.
Some common changes that may occur in children when they are stressed and depressed are
• Excessive crying or irritation in younger children
• Poor Nutrition (failing to eat or eating in excessively to avoid being away from the computer/mobile)
• Poor Personal Hygiene (e.g., not bathing to stay online)
• Neck Pain
• Dry Eyes and other Vision Problems
• Excessive worry or sadness
• Feelings of Euphoria when using the Computer/Mobile
• Inability to Prioritize or Keep Schedules
• No Sense of Time
• Defensiveness
• Avoidance of Work
• Agitation
• Mood Swings
• Irritability and “acting out” behaviours in teens
• Poor school performance or avoiding school
• Difficulty with attention and concentration
• Avoidance of activities enjoyed in the past
• Unexplained headaches or body pain
• Use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs
Not all children and teens respond to stress in the same way. To overcome these symptoms and mitigate the effects of mental stress inflicted by CoViD19. There have to be some holistic and specific approaches, these mostly include reserving them a non-digital time, finding substitutes for the offline activities in the school and finding new means of interaction. I have below discussed some of them.
• Reassure your child or teen that they are safe. Let them know it is ok if they feel upset. Share with them how you deal with your own stress so that they can learn how to cope from you.
• Limit your family’s exposure to news coverage of the event, including social media. Children may misinterpret what they hear and can be frightened about something they do not understand.
• Try to keep up with regular routines. As schools are closed, create a schedule for learning activities and relaxing or fun activities, kids in schools have a lot of interaction and co-curricular activities, the pandemic has shifted this responsibility to the parents without the luxury of open air, parents need to adopt and find means to engage their kids.
• It is important for the parents to monitor the online activities of their kids and advise them about the right things to do.
• Be a role model. Take breaks, get plenty of sleep, exercise, and eat well. Connect with your friends and family members.
However, not much is known about the long-term mental health effects of large-scale disease outbreaks on children and adolescents. While there is some research on the psychological impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) on patients and health-care workers, not much is known about the effects on ordinary citizens. Evidence is especially scarce in children and adolescents. “This is an important gap for research”, Au said. COVID-19 is much more widespread than SARS and other epidemics on a global scale. As the pandemic continues, it is important to support children and adolescents facing bereavement and issues related to parental unemployment or loss of household income. There is also a need to monitor young people's mental health status over the long term, and to study how prolonged school closures, strict social distancing measures, and the pandemic itself affect the wellbeing of children and adolescent.
The Covid-19 pandemic has alarming implications for individual and collective health and emotional and social functioning. In addition to providing medical care, already stretched health care providers have an important role in monitoring psychosocial needs and delivering psychosocial support to their patients, health care providers, and the public — activities that should be integrated into general pandemic health care.
This difficult moment in time nonetheless offers the opportunity to advance our understanding of how to provide prevention-focused, population-level, and indeed national-level psychological first aid and mental health care, and to emerge from this pandemic with new ways of doing so. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, and efforts to contain it, represent a unique threat, and we must recognize the pandemic that will quickly follow it—that of mental and behavioural illness—and implement the steps needed to mitigate it. |
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