Youth Mental Health: Addressing Back-to-School Anxiety
Heading back to school can be an exciting, yet stressful time. For many children, anxiety and mixed emotions are part of the transition. The Kids Mental Health Foundation recognizes that schooltime can have a big impact on children’s mental health and offers a range of helpful free resources for the adults in their lives: parents, caregivers, educators, and coaches.
Whitney Raglin Bignall
“Whether your child is starting school for the first time, attending a new school, or returning for a new year at their old school, it’s a really good time for parents and caregivers to check in with their kids to see how they’re feeling and how they’re processing this important time in their life,” said Whitney Raglin Bignall, PhD, Associate Clinical Director, The Kids Mental Health Foundation. “To help ease the transition, we recommend parents and their kids have a series of low-pressure, non-judgmental conversations about their feelings and concerns in the weeks leading up to school.”
Parents who need help getting these conversations started can download Kids Mental Health Foundation Back-to-School Conversation Starters, which are designed to help kids reflect on the summer and get excited about the upcoming school year. A Back-to-School Mental Health Checklist is available to help parents and kids get organized and reduce feelings of stress.
“Just as it is important to get kids back on a regular sleep schedule in the days and weeks leading up to the start of school, it’s also important to establish other school-day routines and not wait until the first day of school,” said Dr. Raglin Bignall. “Practice walking to the bus stop with your child. Visit the school to help them learn where their classrooms and locker are. Practice opening the lock! Steps like these can help eliminate some of the stress of the unknown.”
How Many Kids Struggle with Their Mental Health?
Back-to-school time is not the only time adults need to be concerned about their children’s mental health. Over the last 20 years, youth mental health disorders have increased, and the COVID pandemic exacerbated the scope of the struggle. Today, it is estimated that one in five kids has a significantly impaired mental disorder.
“Even in the decade before the pandemic, we saw a 40 percent increase in persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness among high school students,” said Dr. Raglin Bignall. “Parents may be shocked to learn that half of all lifetime mental health disorders start by the age of 14, and that less than half of kids identified with a mental health disorder get the treatment they need.”
Dr. Raglin Bignall encouraged parents and adult caregivers to be vigilant for signs of loneliness, sadness, and hopelessness in their children – all early indicators of problems that may worsen into deeper depression if not addressed. She said it’s normal for children to experience a bit of anxiety from time to time. But when that anxiety impairs a child’s ability to participate in school, activities, and relationships with peers, it is time to seek the help of mental health services.
“Depression and anxiety look different in kids than in adults,” she said. “In adults, depression may manifest itself as sadness, while in children it may display as irritability, refusal to participate in certain activities, or non-compliance with rules and requirements. They don’t always wear their thoughts on their sleeves.”
Kids Mental Health Foundation: Dedicated to Making Mental Health a Vital Part of Every Child’s Upbringing
The Kids Mental Health Foundation was created by Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where Dr. Raglin Bignall continues to see patients as a pediatric psychologist. with the mission of The Kids Mental Health Foundation is to give free resources so everyone can understand promote children’s mental health.
Since its founding, The Kids Mental Health Foundation has:
- Engaged with more than 24 million people through its content, helping them navigate kids’ mental health through its tools and resources.
- Reached nearly 3 million classrooms with educator curriculum and videos.
- Produced hundreds of resources that promote kids’ mental health – all available for free.
- Participated in a White House discussion about representation of children’s mental health in the entertainment industry.
- Hosted the Operation: Conversation discussion with U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy to address the impact of children’s mental health in the home, at school and in the workplace.
- Studied the effects of children’s mental health on the workplace and, in response, launched an online workplace curriculum, “Bloom,” to educate parents about their children’s mental health.
- Partnered with dozens of youth-service organizations and children’s hospitals across the country to reach kids in local communities.
- Collaborated with GoNoodle to create its first social-emotional learning channel, “The Mooderators,” which teaches children about navigating their mental health through short videos and curricula.
“One of our goals is to get adults thinking about the mental health of their children further upstream, when it’s good, not just when it’s bad,” said Dr. Raglin Bignall. “Like we help our kids to maintain good physical health by encouraging them to eat well, exercise, and avoid risky behaviors, we should also help them maintain good mental health by establishing routines, structure, and meaningful connections with family and friends. Give kids the skills and the tools they need to be resilient and manage life when it gets hard or when challenging things happen.”
Impact of Children’s Mental Health on Working Parents
Dr. Raglin Bignall suggested another reason for parents to focus on maintaining their child’s good mental health – a financial one.
“When their child is struggling with a mental health condition, working parents may feel distracted and emotionally drained, which can impact their work life,” she said. “As a result, over a third of working parents change or quit their jobs, more than half come in late or not at all at least once a month, and over half report work interruptions like calls and emails from school, which can affect their productivity.”
The Kids Mental Health Foundation studied the impact of children’s mental health on parents’ careers and published its findings in The Great Collide, an initial report that identified working parents’ concerns and challenges. A follow up study, The Ripple Effect: The Influence of Children’s Mental Health on The Great Resignation, looks at how children’s mental health may be contributing to parents’ job changes, underscoring the realities facing employers across the nation as they balance employee well-being and corporate success. A companion discussion guide is designed for employers looking to support the parents and caregivers in their workplace.
“When a child is newly diagnosed or really struggling, it can be difficult to predict how much time is needed for appointments, meetings at school, and the one-on-one support the child needs from their parents,” concluded Dr. Raglin Bignall. “A flexible, understanding workplace is crucial so that parents aren’t forced into choosing between work and the health of their child. A loss or reduction in income only adds to the family’s stress.”
Editor’s Note
Are you struggling to pay for treatment costs for your child with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADD, or ADHD? You may be eligible for financial assistance from the HealthWell Foundation. The HealthWell Pediatric Assistance Fund® provides up to $2,500 in assistance with the cost shares of prescription drugs, therapies, devices and transportation related to those conditions.
