Student mental health during a pandemic
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Michigan, USA (WNEM) — “This transition of going back and forth to different modalities of learning is definitely stressful,” said Erin Nostrandt, Director of Child Services with the Saginaw County Mental Health Authority.
Leaning from home to the luxury of face-to-face instruction, and back to learning from home. Michigan students are feeling the brunt of this pandemic pause.
“The impact, they have to adjust to, just like we all do. Have to keep adjusting to how they’re learning and new ways of learning, so it’s stressful.”
Nostrandt suggests students are being pulled in many directions right now.
“If I’m trying to cope with this stress but I actually need to spend my energy doing algebra, it gets divided different ways.”
A new report by the Child Mind Institute and California Partners Project says teens are experiencing a huge loss due to school closures. That’s resulting in stress, anxiety and depression.
“There’s that social interaction that kids are missing out on. There’s this struggle of I feel safe at home, but I miss being around people.”
There’s also a concern by mental health experts that students who need help aren’t getting it.
Nostrandt says watch for signs of anxiety or depression in your child, so they don’t fly under the radar.
“Ask the questions, how are you doing? Just have those conversations that we normally would do anyway. Even more so now because of all the stress that’s on everybody.”
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