Children are back
in class, and families are adjusting to new schedules and a lot of changes.
From kindergarten
through college, educators are trying to convey a sense of normalcy.
News 12's Elizabeth Hashagen was
joined by Dr. Cara McNulty, president of
behavioral health and mental well-being at CVS Health, and Dr.
Liz Matheis, licensed clinical psychologist
and certified school psychologist.
What are some tips
for parents trying to get the routine right and help kids have a
successful school year?
Educators report
feeling concerned about adolescents' mental health, significantly more than
parents. When asked if a child has ever approached them about a mental or
emotional concern, more educators said yes compared to parents. However, almost
half of parents say they initiate conversations about mental health with their
child, compared to a quarter of educators.
Educators cited family dynamics and relationships, self-esteem,
bullying/social dynamics and social media usage as the top negative impacts on
children's mental health.
Parents most often cited academic pressure,
self-esteem, pandemic-related stress and bullying/social dynamics as having
negative impacts on their children's mental health. Most educators cited issues
stemming from gender, race and sexuality as a factor negatively impacting
adolescent mental health, compared to just 25% of parents.
Asking questions
is the best way to understand how students are doing. But for older students,
especially, if you're only asking about the good things, you may not get the
full picture.
Educators and parents agree that more affordable
mental health care is the most beneficial resource for adolescent mental
health.
Things like changes in sleep, increased irritability, increased weight
gain or changes in appetite can signal to clinicians that there may be an underlying
issue. But for incoming college students, a lot of those things can naturally
happen, with students going away from home for the first time.
In the last two months of a new
suicide hotline - 988 - numbers have nearly doubled in calls. Health and Human Services says 45% more calls compared
to this time last year.