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What kinds of mental and behavioral health issues have you seen children face during the pandemic? As it relates to COVID, I think it would be fair to call this a traumatic event. There’s going to be an interaction between really stressful events and people who have underlying tendencies and underlying predispositions toward a more nervous temperament or avoidant coping. And so we’ve seen a really high impact on anxiety and on levels of depression. Kids are still navigating how they can do things that they care about in a safe way… I've also seen a lot of people respond in a healthy way; I think people are feeling more in charge of being ready to seek help and to change things that aren’t working for them.
How can caretakers and parents help with feelings of anxiety and distress? Trust your gut if something is wrong with your kid or teenager, if they’ve departed from what they normally are like… If there's a really distinct, discrete change, I advise people to reach out to their doctor. Oftentimes, there's not that distinct, sudden change; it might be percolating for a little while, but then you're noticing it quite a bit. I always encourage erring on the side of caution if we're talking about addressing thoughts of suicide. If suicide is something you’re concerned about, ask directly… If you're in an urgent situation like that, I would strongly encourage people to take that very seriously and go to the closest emergency room or call 911 if needed.
What advice would you offer educators, as well as parents? Listen in a genuine way, acknowledge their experience and pain, and sit with them in that pain. If it's hard to empathize because it's not the exact thing that you’ve gone through, it can still be done very genuinely. Pretty much everyone can empathize with not getting what they want or not being able to control other people around them. If a kid seems to be worked up over something that really is out of proportion, well, guess what? I too get worked up about things that are out of proportion. We all have thoughts that are strange or odd or irrational, because we're not robots. I think that’s a good first step to supporting kids, whether it’s from the parent’s perspective or the teacher’s perspective, being able to say, 'That's OK that you're worried about this; that makes sense that you're worried about this. What can I do to support you?' Take their concerns seriously, because if a kid is sharing something with you, then it's very likely that there's something more there; it’s very personal, private stuff for them to share, and there might be more that we're not seeing or hearing about. Make sure that you offer tangible support in an action plan, whether that’s following up with the pediatrician or getting the school counselor involved.
What other resources can you share? We have a helpline in our Department of Psychology at St. Louis Children’s Hospital (314-454-8336) and can make referrals in the community for mental health, including counseling, therapy, and a range of services like testing. There are also some local resources here in Missouri. Behavioral Health Response (314-469-6644) is a 24-hour confidential phone line for those in a crisis. The St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and St. Charles County areas have a behavioral health response connection helpline; call 314-819-8802 or text “BHEARD” to 31658. There's a Crisis Text Line; text “HOME” to 741741. And the Trevor Project has one specific for LGBTQ youth.
