The Mental Health of Children during Covid

Kanika Mahajan, Visakhapatnam

Recently I had my economics exam (sad, I know) on the chapter "people as resources"

which mentions that the quality of a person has 2 factors:

1. Education

It is basically how well-read and skilled a person is.

2. Health

This has to do with the person’s productivity. As in, if they were to be ill, how significantly their level of productivity would drop.

The chapter, very surprisingly, mentions how only education and physical health affect the country and finance while not taking into consideration the mental and emotional well being of the country’s human resources. Well, we cannot blame the textbook makers now, can we? Our books are as old as Dumbledore (if you know what I mean) and mental and emotional well being were not that necessary back then or related to the subject at hand.

Since Covid hit us, we have been separated from many things in life. We have been separated from our friends and family, from the normality of a simple walk in the park and even our work environments. The population’s psychological reactions play a critical role in shaping both the spread of the disease and the occurrence of emotional distress and social disorder during and after the outbreak.

The children of grades 1 and 2 never got to hang out with their friends, the new 5th and 6th graders never got to give a proper exam (well actually, they are probably happy about that.)

Either way, psychological and psychiatric needs should not be overlooked during any phase of pandemic management.

As a result of the lockdown, many people have difficulty in performing appropriately in social gatherings and this has induced social anxiety in them. (I mean seriously, you can no longer just walk to someone, smack the back of their head and say: I like your cut G.)

However, this separation has created a lot of problems concerning people’s mental health as well (that is apart from social anxiety). Psychological reactions to pandemics include maladaptive behaviour, emotional distress and defensive responses.

Recent studies have shown that during the pandemic children mainly suffered from:

1. Sadness

2. Violent mood swings

3. Excessive frustration

4. Anxiety

5. Loneliness

This also affects their overall health and behaviour and may also cause them to be less motivated, lash out, get paranoid, etc.

Several steps can and should be taken now to minimize the psychological and psychiatric effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Staying connected online with friends and family

• Having a healthy daily routine

Anyone who feels upset or has the above symptoms should contact mental health professionals like psychologists or psychiatrists. (Houston, we have a problem.) Being aware, accepting, and having the insight that one has psychological problems is the first step and is a must for therapy.

Talking with a professional, maintaining a routine and healthy lifestyle, taking a healthy diet, avoiding tobacco and drugs, participating in creative activities like music, singing, writing, painting, dancing helps cope with anxiety.

If one is extremely vulnerable and upset, restricting, or stopping access to electronic media and the news is useful.

• Mental health is important for Covid survivors and their kin to recover from the aftermath

• The mental health of doctors and nurses is not to be overlooked as they spend a lot of time away from their homes. this leads to a major impact on their mental health as well

• Write a few lines about how lonely people feel, cramped up in their houses.