There are several things parents, coaches and other adults can do to spot signs of potential mental health trouble and intervene to either help a child cope during the pandemic or explore professional services.
Warning signs
Parents and coaches should pay attention for several possible signs a child is experiencing increased anxiety or mental health issues.
Dickinson psychology professor Dr. Michele Patterson Ford said they can include:
- Dramatic, persistent change in mood with little ebb and flow
- Increased, sustained anger more than is usual
- Notable eating changes, either eating more or eating less than usual
- Notable disinterest in their favorite sports or activities, or unwillingness to talk with friends
But not every emotional outburst or bad day is indicative of serious problems.
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“It’s normal for all of us to be under stress right now and to show stress reaction — to get overwhelmed at times, to maybe be a little shorter, have a shorter fuse at times,” Ford said.
The key is if the personality and behavioral changes are sustained for two weeks or more, she said.
“Typically if it’s going on for a long period of time — a couple weeks, or a month or more — this is when I might start considering do we need maybe to bring in a professional consultation of some sort?” Ford said. “The first thing you would want to do is talk to the person about it and ask, and see if you can get some more information about what’s going on. But if it seems like an individual is really struggling, I can’t stress enough the importance of bringing in that professional help sooner rather than later.”
Communication and de-stressing
In the event a child is showing significant changes in personality or behavior, Ford suggests parents attempt to speak with their child. Empathy and care are important, and parents should ask questions to try to get their child to open up.
Dr. Natalie Hernandez DePalma, an assistant director of clinical services at Penn State, said it is important for adults to find a platform to talk with a child that they will engage in — texting, phone call or in-person. For coaches, that may not be Zoom, a platform many teams have utilized in recent months. Eye contact and facial social cues humans rely on during in-person communication is awkward on virtual calls over Zoom, which can make it not ideal if the child is not comfortable using it.
“Find a platform that might be a little more comfortable to chat,” she said.
There are also preventative measures that parents can utilize. Ford recommends families find stress-free activities to share together.
“What I encourage parents to do is take time as a family to do some de-stress type of activities, right,” she said. “So that can look like, hopefully, playing a board game. For some families, that may be a little stressful. But maybe having some downtime to watch TV together.”
Alone time can be important, too, she said. It can allow a child a chance to decompress, especially after spending months at home with family for longer periods of time than is typical.
Benefits of counseling
Ford said it is important for parents to seek professional counseling for their child “sooner rather than later.”
If the warning signs — sustained mood changes, eating changes, a loss of interest in favorite hobbies — are persistent for more than two weeks, it can be a sign, Ford said, that counseling is needed.
The earlier someone enters counseling, the more likely a family is to see benefits and positive changes. According to the CDC, 70-80% of children ages 9-17 receive some form of mental health care in a school setting. Some local school districts, like Mechanicsburg, have made guidance counselors available on Zoom. But the potential for remote learning to extend well into the fall and possibly winter months could limit options for teens to seek professional counseling.
“Typically bringing the professional help in sooner shortens the course of whatever it is that might be going on,” Ford said.
Parents should seek professional counseling for children showing warning signs of mental health issues as soon as possible, whether the help comes from the school district or a psychiatrist or other mental health expert.
Those experiencing suicidal thoughts should call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (in Spanish: 1-888-628-9454).
HS Football Photos: Scenes from Mechanicsburg offseason workouts
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Email Jake Adams at jadams@cumberlink.com or follow him on Twitter @jakeadams520
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