Expert: Isolation affecting athletes
Stanford doctor talks health issues in kids
The coronavirus pandemic this year has hit families hard.
Last month, doctors from the Centers for Disease Control and P r e vent ion re - ported in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report an increase in visits from kids and teenagers to emergency rooms seeking mental health
services.
Although researchers have not studied young athletes specifically, some Bay Area parents and coaches have expressed concerns about the effects on their kids as high school sports and youth leagues have been paused since March in the region.
Some families have left California so their children can continue participating in sports they love to minimize those effects.
Dr. Antonio Hardan, Stanford’s chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, addressed some of the issues and offered solutions in an interview with the
Bay Area News Group. Hardan, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, grew up playing soccer and running track, activities he said provided lessons that helped him get through medical school.
The answers below have been edited for clarity.
QHow would you describe the mental impact of the COVID-19 pandemic among high school and youth sports athletes?
AQThe pandemic is taking a toll and unfortunately, kids are paying the price because these are formative years for them. Playgrounds are closed. Soccer fields are closed. Baseball games are not happening.
And 91% of kids around the world have been affected in a way they cannot go outside. They are limited to their home environments or at best their neighborhoods. There is a significant increase in stress, anxiety and feeling of helplessness.
The younger you are, the more you are affected.
Kids with special needs are affected more. If you have a pre- existing mental condition you are going to be affected more.
Those economically underprivileged will suffer more. Their homes are smaller. They will have more people living in the house. They don’t have a backyard to kick the ball around. They don’t live near a park.
What we’re seeing in teens is more inattention and more irritability related to being stuck
Q
at home. Parents in one What is your adstudy reported kids are vice for the athletes a little more uncertain themselves? about their future. Imag
A
ine if you are a 17-year- old The advice is to try looking at a college scholto develop a routine arship. You are worried in that involves some exerterms of how you are going cise even though it might to be identified or how you not involve your teamare going to be recruited. mates or your coach. We That is a major concern for can all run. Fortunately, some of the kids. in California, you can
Independently of that, run outside 12 months what we’re seeing is that of the year. They need some teenagers are havto create a system for ing some disturbed sleep. staying in shape. There To begin with, teenagers are a lot of opportunihave some sleep issues. ties for strengthening
You add a limited strucand stretching and they ture from the pandemic should try to capitalize because they are not geton that. ting up at 8 a.m. or 7:30
Q
to go to school so that has Some people were added more disruption impatient and had in sleep. Sleep is critical the means to take their for this age group. This is kids elsewhere to keep leading to apathy and a playing. lack of motivation to get
A
out of the room. We can debate if that
In the pandemic, we is the optimum thing lost two battles with teenor not. Every parent will agers. The first one is gethave to look at what is ting them off their screens. best for their kids and try Right now they are stuck to optimize the situation. in front of their screen You don’t need much to for schoolwork and homejuggle a ball outside or to work. kick in a socially distant
The second one we lost way. is getting them out of their Being impatient is exbedrooms. Now they are pected. It’s not like we’ve stuck in their bedrooms done two or three panbecause they are attending demics before. This is the school in their bedrooms. first time for this generation and two or three other generations that we’ve gone through something like this. In a country and a world that has moved more toward immediate gratification, where patience is not part of our ego strengths or part of our skills, we’re growing impatient.
The hope is there is light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully, I don’t know when, but maybe in the spring or summer, we can have showcase tournaments for a lot of athletes because it is critical for them to be identified by coaches across the country.
Is there a way to quantify a trend like more high school and youth sports athletes seeking professional mental help since the pandemic began? If not, is there something we can say generally about the overall toll it is taking?
A
The pandemic is wreaking havoc on the populations but more importantly for children and adolescents. Compared to 2019, the CDC report shows there is a significant increase in the number of emergency room visits with kids be
tween the ages of 5-11 and teens between the ages of 12-17.
Personally and professionally here, we are feeling it. The number of referrals we are getting is much higher than last year. We’re getting more referrals to our services from within the Stanford Children’s Health system and from outside.
The system here in the Bay Area and across the country has significant access issues for pediatric mental health and the pandemic is not helping at all.
In the inpatient units, we’re seeing a significant increase in the number of patients in the general adolescent psychiatry unit and the eating disorder unit.
QWhat can a parent do if their kid is going stir crazy? What is your advice for parents whose children are dealing with emotional distress because they cannot play sports and be with their friends?
AA lot of things people have recommended are to maintain a routine and aim for some consistency with bedtimes and breaks. It is important to stay connected with others through FaceTime or online games with other families. Some teens are not as social as others. It is important to gently push them and create opportunities. Some teens are very social. Some could be athletes or high performers and they are isolated. They usually connect with people through sports and now some of the sports are not happening. Facilitating movie nights, virtual playdates, virtual family dinners are important for parents of teenagers.