Mental health top of mind as students head back to school
BALTIMORE -- With Maryland students about to head back to school, an issue on the mind of many parents and health care workers is children's mental health.
Experts know that as students return to the classroom, many of them might arrive with a case of the first-day jitters, a sense of excitement and perhaps some pandemic-driven anxiety.
That's why clinicians have been preparing for a back-to-school surge in mental health visits.
"There are still kids that are worried about the pandemic," Ascension Saint Agnes pediatrician Dr. Monique Burke said. "There are children who have been in virtual learning for a couple of years."
Burke estimated that 25% of her day is devoted to mental health, up from 20% two years ago.
"I think at this point anxiety is our No. 1 issue across the board, and no, I have never seen it like this year," the doctor told WJZ.
Adding to the concerns are fears that some children have fallen behind academically or become less comfortable socializing with peers due to COVID-19's impact on in-person learning.
"Part of the problem is that we don't have as much support in place for our children like we need to in terms of mental health care," Burke said. "Our providers are so swamped, it's so hard to get in to see someone."
Those concerns are enough to make any parent feel a heightened sense of stress.
"I tell parents to really look and see if there are any changes in what (students') normal behavior is," Burke said.
The doctor said how parents support their children during their return to school might depend on how they feel as well as their age.
"I have seen an increase in particular with my adolescent females, that they are experiencing a lot of anxiety, and there is a lot of things for that, a lot of social media," Burke said.
Burke said parents might see younger children become more dependent, which could include not wanting to leave their parents' presence or not wanting to attend sleepovers.
Evie Burke, a high school freshman and the doctor's daughter, said setting an emotional tone starts with support. She pointed to the number of things going on in teens' lives.
"They are not just a kid, but they are not an adult, too, so they are in a weird in-between," she said. "So they will need your help sometimes, but they will also need to be themselves."
She said there are much more pressure for teens than before. But she said she is dealing with these changes by not worrying about things that are outside of her control.
"I'm still really excited to see my friends and to finally get back to a normal school year."