Look for warning signs if you think your child is struggling
Is your child OK?
It’s a question parents, guardians and loved ones who care for their kids ask themselves every day. But sometimes it’s hard to tell when children are in emotional distress.
COVID-19 has taken a traumatic toll on the world, and life during the pandemic has been complicated, stressful and full of complications during the past year and a half.
Throughout the pandemic, more young people have reported being anxious, depressed and lonely, but one small COVID-19 silver lining is the added emphasis and attention toward proactively treating mental health issues.
Signs to watch for in kids
How do you know when a child is struggling emotionally to the point that professional help is needed? Mental health experts encourage everyone to be mindful if a child starts showing any of these warning signs:
Sleep: Sleeping a lot more or less than usual. Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep.
Eating/weight: Eating substantially more or less than usual. Significant weight loss or gain in a short period of time.
Concentration: A change in ability to focus on a task or complete a task.
Moodiness: Not just having a bad day or few days. A week or more of persistent low mood, sadness, anxiety or irritability.
Cleanliness: A noticeable difference in personal hygiene.
Fashion: Atypical clothing for the season. For example, always wearing long-sleeve clothes even during hot weather days (outside of medical conditions or religious/spiritual reasons). This may signal concerns for self-harming behaviors such as cutting.
Socializing: Less interest in spending time with friends or socializing. Withdrawing from social events and family more than usual.
Interests: Not wanting to participate in activities that usually bring joy. Not wanting to play sports, do art projects or other favorite activities.
Academic: Sudden decline in academic performance with no known reason.
Social media: Talk of hopelessness, death or self-harm and/or sharing many negative/hopeless posts on social media. These should be discussed in more detail and mentioned to parents, school staff members or a pediatrician right away.