Protecting kids mental health amid COVID, 7News gets answers from a pediatric psychologist
WASHINGTON (7News) — Psychologists say throughout the pandemic they have seen a huge jump in everyone's stress levels. A big reason is that people have had to adjust to many difficult changes.
With students, Dr. Kim Burgess, a Pediatric Psychologist and the founder of BHIP Method said "that has led to a rise in anxiety disorders, depression, there is more anger, physical aggression, violence, all of it is up and it's not abating. It's continuing. So now that kids are back in schools, they have that huge support system so there are absolutely things we can be doing to help them."
Dr. Burgess said parents and adults should check in more than they used to with how kids are doing, especially if you do notice signs like changes in their mood.
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"When kids are younger, you may get more behavioral problems, get more changes in their sleeping patterns, their eating, so they might not say anything, but it might be coming out in other ways," she said. As kids get older, obviously more verbal skills, more ability to share their thoughts and feelings, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they do. That doesn't necessarily mean that they are comfortable with that"
She said if your child seems more frustrated than usual and more reactive, never hesitate to seek help, consult with a professional, or even starting with asking their teacher how your child has been doing.
"Sometimes waiting for that patent teacher conference sometimes near the end of November is too long. By then a student might be getting really overwhelmed with the schoolwork and other people don't realize. They might not be understanding the material or maybe finding it's too much homework which is very stressful for kids. That's one of the biggest things they say, is the homework," Dr. Burgess said.
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She said going to the pediatrician is also a good idea because "otherwise they are waiting for that annual wellness appointment and sometimes that is months away and once a year isn't enough," Dr. Burgess said.
She said a visit to a pediatrician is smart for three reasons.
"One, the pediatrician has often known that child since birth or at least a lot longer than other doctors. The pediatrician will also do screening sometimes. So, a brief you know say set of five questions to determine if there is anxiety going on that is significant enough to warrant a referral to a mental health professional. Which brings me to the third one, they're the ones who will make referrals to the mental health professionals and they also know which ones they can recommend because they know how that person works with the families," Dr. Burgess said.
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When it comes to talking with your children, Dr. Burgess said specific questions are best in a relaxed setting. She calls questions like, "how are you," are a dead end.
"The reason it's a dead-end is because that's what we call a closed question. It's so easy, how was your day? Fine. But if you ask them, 'hey what's your teacher like when they started school or what did you do at recess today or hey if they're in high school who did you have lunch with, are you making some new friends, who are you hanging with these days.' So, ask open questions, ones that would allow for more conversation," she said.
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For children/teens:
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