Editor’s note: This is the second of two stories about how the stress of COVID-19 and its far-reaching impacts have led to a sharp rise in children and teens experiencing mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. In Friday’s Great Bend Tribune, we looked at what has caused the increase and how to identify the warning signs of depression and anxiety. In today’s article, the Tribune explores how parents, friends and students themselves can help students battling depression and anxiety, as well as what USD 428 officials are doing to help combat the rise of mental health struggles in children and teens.
To identify and combat rises in anxiety and depression in students, it takes a village of involved and caring people to step in and help. Parents, friends, school officials and health professionals all play a role in ensuring students have the resources they need to face the rising tide of stress brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and its far reaching effects.
And officials say the battle needs to begin on the home front.
How parents can address the issue
Great Bend High School Counselor Rachel Thexton indicated each relationship in a student’s life is an extra line of defense in recognizing potential mental health issues in children and teens, and each one is crucial to ensuring the issue is addressed quickly and properly.
Parents are on the front line of that defense because they will pick up on things at home that teachers and counselors may not at school. Likewise, friends may pick up on words or changes in behavior parents may not see at home. Teachers are able to recognize changes in behavior and academic performance at school. This is especially important if students are quarantined or learning remotely, so they have less daily contact outside the home.
The first thing parents need to look for is any sudden changes in mood, behavior, sleep patterns, eating patterns and social engagement. Abrupt changes in these areas can be an indicators of depression and anxiety, and need to be addressed.
“Parents see things at home that (counselors and teachers) never see at school, because sometimes kids are really good at putting up a front,” Thexton said.
The most important thing parents can do for their kids in recognizing issues is to maintain consistent communication.
“Parents need to have conversations (with their kids), and not just, ‘how was your day?’” Thexton said. “Ask them specific questions about how they are feeling; do they have fears; do they have anxiety. Ask those questions, but then look for those (warning) signs.”
Chris Gahagan with the Center for Counseling and Consultation in Great Bend said parents need to be willing talk to their kids openly about how they, as parents, are feeling, too. Kids need to know how their parents are coping with what is happening, especially in the face of the increased daily challenges of COVID-19.
Also, because a common warning sign of depression and anxiety can be increased withdrawal from loved ones and activities, Thexton said it is important to encourage kids to remain engaged at home if they recognize this happening.
“(Have) them sit wherever everybody else is gathered (at home), and just engage them in that conversation,” she said.
USD 428 Family Support Worker Alana Blessing said another important way for parents to help their kids is through self-care. Parents need to recognize and acknowledge they, too need help to cope with the stress. The stress at home has a large impact on the students’ mental health.
“It’s really being able to, as a parent, step back and say, ‘I’m not healthy. What do I need to do for me to get myself healthy?’” Blessing said.
For parents, this means finding times and methods to recharge personally, such as going for a walk, listening to music, or having a personal space to recuperate for a few minutes.
This is especially important, she said, if students are learning remotely and parents are having to function as teachers in addition to their normal daily responsibilities, since this can add additional stress for a parent.
However, Gahagan acknowledged that sometimes parents may be unsure of how to approach certain topics with their kids, and in return sometimes youths struggle to communicate effectively with their parents.
Parents also should not hesitate to reach out for help from other resources, including mental health professionals, doctors and school counselors.
“If you see something and aren’t sure where to go next, please reach out to us,” Thexton said. “We’ll call the kids and have a conversation and see what the next step should be.”
How USD 428 is addressing it
Teachers, counselors and other staff at USD 428 have sought to be proactive in countering the rise of depression and anxiety in their students.
Blessing said the district has promoted the theme, “We’re in this together,” to students and teachers throughout the year. The hope is to let each student know that he or she is not alone as many struggle to overcome the day-to-day hurdles that COVID-19 presents.
One thing the district has done since the start of the school year is to hold “Morning Meetings” in each classroom for about 15 minutes at the beginning of each day. The goal of these meetings is to help foster open, positive discussion about things students may be struggling with and to let students know they are not alone. “What kids are finding out is, what one student is struggling with is exactly what another student is struggling with,” Blessing said. “It has almost become a support group.”
Blessing said goal for all staff has been to create an environment where students can feel safe and cared for. The district emphasizes the necessity of building positive relationships as a means combatting mental health issues.
“Throughout the day, we’ll work on helping build them up, giving them those words of affirmation, that we’re going to work on this together,” Blessing said.
Blessing said teachers and counselors also communicate to parents any potential issues they might notice at school. “The anxiety and depression (sometimes) can go unnoticed at home because the parents are suffering, as well,” she said.
One of the biggest challenges they face, though, is overcoming many stigmas attached to mental health issues, and letting students know it’s okay to reach out for help.
Sometimes, the students may not recognize the issues in themselves, or may be reluctant to talk about them, so the district strongly encourages students to advocate for friends who may be struggling with these issues. They encourage students to know the warning signs of anxiety and depression, and to seek help if they recognize it in a friend.
This is especially important, she said, because young people will often open up to their friends in ways they may not with adults, and friends can pick up on words or behaviors that seem out of place.
Thexton said she has been extremely proud of USD 428 students in that regard.
“We’ve had a lot of kids come in this year for friends and fellow classmates,” she said. “We’ve talked quite a bit about just how good our kids have been at identifying issues with their friends.”
As counselors, Thexton and Blessing also seek to create a safe environment where students who may be dealing with mental health issues or increased stress feel they can find a caring, supportive environment where they can be open about their struggles.
With mild issues, they help provide students with coping skills to manage the stress and anxiety in healthy ways.
If it is a more serious issue that counselors, school officials, and parents are not equipped to deal with, counselors can refer students to mental health professionals.
“We’ve got great mental health professionals in this town,” Thexton said.
Ask for help
Most importantly, the counselors want students to know it’s okay to reach out when they have a problem.
“Do not be afraid to ask for help,” Gahagan said. “Find one friend or trusted family member that you can talk to when you’re struggling, especially in these trying times. Mental health issues are more common than you’d think.”
In that vein, Gahagan said the Center works with community partners to promote the #ZeroReasonsWhy campaign, a teen-led campaign to remove the stigma surrounding mental health and expand suicide prevention efforts.
Thexton said dealing proactively with mental health issues should be as important as taking care of yourself physical.
“Health is health,” Thexton said. “And (mental) health is just as important, sometimes more important.”
