What You Should Know about Back-to-School Mental Health

Heading back to school can be a stressful time for parents and kids. New teachers, new routines, new classmates, and sometimes new schools can be overwhelming and anxiety-inducing. It is normal and natural for you and your children to feel anxious or nervous about the new school year. However, you can take some simple steps to help work through and alleviate this anxiety.

4 Ways to Lower Back-to-School Anxiety

1. Take action to familiarize yourself and your child with their new surroundings. Visit the new classroom. Go with your child to meet your child’s new teacher. Taking away some of the uncertainty and unknowns of the first day of school can go a long way in calming fears and anxieties.
2. Get back into the routine of school a few weeks before it begins. Start going to bed earlier and waking up when it’s time to get ready for school. You may even add other routines and structures, such as packing lunches the night before and limiting screen time, to prepare for the school year. This will help ease the transition period and some of the stress and anxiety surrounding it.
3. Spend some time connecting with other families from school. Set up playdates and hangouts with families with children in the same class. Having a connection with a peer can lessen school anxiety.
4. Talk with your child and encourage them to share how they are feeling and what they are anxious about. Confirm that what they are feeling is natural and resist the urge to tell them not to worry. Being a safe place for your children to voice their anxieties without judgment or minimization is a powerful way to help your child. It will give them a sense of security when facing the unknowns of a new school year.

Signs the Your Child May Need Help

Even before the pandemic, more and more children and teens were experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression. And most will agree that while we do see clear signs of recovering from the pandemic’s toll on mental health, more children and teens are still dealing with poor mental health. In 2021, nearly 15 percent of children ages 5-17 received mental health treatment. In a 2022 survey of public schools, 69 percent of schools said that since the pandemic more students are looking for mental health services. There are other signs of recovery from the pandemic. According to the same survey, 82 percent of teenagers say they are hopeful about the future, a 13 percent increase from 2020.

Causes for the Rise in Anxiety and Depression

Experts have offered different explanations for the rise in anxiety and depression among children and teens. The pandemic is one notable reason for more anxiety and depression in teens and children. Sudden, severe changes in routine, separation from peers and family, increases in screen time, higher stress in parents and caregivers, loss of parents and caregivers, and increases in physical and emotional abuse impacted children and teens during the pandemic. These are all significant challenges to mental health with long lasting effects. Other research shows that puberty is shifting earlier, which plays a part in the mental health crisis. As it hits, puberty affects the development of the brain. Parts of the brain for emotions and social behavior develop more quickly during puberty than the parts of the brain linked to cognitive control. Social media and online life also seem to be playing a part in the rise in anxiety and depression. Increased screen time, in general, has been linked to greater anxiety and depression in children and teens. And some psychologists think more children are getting mental health treatment not only because of an increase in anxiety and depression but also because of an increase in access and awareness of treatment.

When to Talk to a Mental Health Professional

As the school year approaches, take note of how you and your child are feeling. Some anxiety and change in behavior and mood is normal, but educate yourself on what signs and symptoms show that you should get professional help. Remember that your mental health is important as well, not only for your sake, but also for the sake of your children. Stress in parents and caregivers affects children, too.

Here are some signs that your child may benefit from professional help:

1. Sadness or low mood that last for more than two weeks
2. A significant change in grades or behavior at school
3. Recurring, unexplained physical symptoms, such as headaches or stomach aches before school
4. Changes in eating habits, either eating a lot more than usual or not eating enough
5. Extreme changes in mood
6. Extreme fatigue or restlessness and tenseness
7. Strong worry or anxiety that make things like going to school, sleeping, or being away from parents very difficult

More schools are offering mental health support and services, so if you are concerned about your child, you can discuss this with someone from your school. A mental health professional will be able to assess your child better and give advice on what is cause for concern.

 References

• https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/5-tips-to-ease-backtoschool-anxiety
• https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/back-to-school/connecting-conversations.html
• https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/01/trends-improving-youth-mental-health
• https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db472.htm
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10332035/
• https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2024/04/04/whats-it-like-to-be-a-teacher-in-america-today/
• https://ies.ed.gov/schoolsurvey/spp/
• https://www.edweek.org/leadership/student-behavior-isnt-getting-any-better-survey-shows/2023/04
• https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/child-and-adolescent-mental-health
• https://youth.gov/youth-topics/youth-mental-health/warning-signs
• https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/7-tips-addressing-back-school-anxiety