May is Mental Health Awareness Month. What does that mean for all of us in May 2020? This May is historic. Most of us never heard of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) three months ago. Today, that is just about all we hear and talk about. How does this impact our mental health? According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), self- care during an emergency will help in long term healing .
Fortunately, most of us will not contract the virus, but we will still be affected. We still hurt. We still need to heal. Our lives have changed forever, and that is what has us bothered. The unknown is unnerving, yet one of the hallmarks of healthy development in children is a stable home. So while parents may feel off balance, the expectation is that the home reflects a steady and stable environment. Many were already stressed and now it is multiplied. The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University has developed a COVID-19 tool kit for parents and teachers that provides resources based on the science related to the developing brain in young children. The resources reinforce the importance of an emotionally healthy family where basic needs are met, including a nurturing relationship with family members.
Dr. Becky Bailey, an early childhood educator, is known for her work on the healthy and unhealthy ways children express themselves when stressed. For many years she has created resources designed to educate parents and teachers on how children process stress in both positive and negative ways. These resources inform parents on how they can be of support to mitigate the child’s feelings of fear and anxiety which can result in angry outbursts and destructive behaviors.
While much has been written about helping parents, not as much as been said about the dark side of stress and how it manifests itself within adults who may have mental health issues which the Coronavirus has magnified. Increases in adult behaviors that are abusive and emotionally dangerous to children are on the rise. Scientists are questioning if COVID-19 is to blame. Forbes magazine recently reported that the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) said it had recorded a 106% increase in CyberTipline reports of suspected child sexual exploitation—rising from 983,734 reports in March 2019 to 2,027,520 in the same month this year. According to a recent article in the Washington Post, pediatricians are sounding the alarm about the significant decline in reports to help lines about a child in an abusive situation. Since front line witnesses, teachers and child care educators, are not working due to program closures some states have recorded as much as a 62% drop in cases from March-April 2019 when compared to the same time this year. On the surface this may appear that less abuse is taking place, but in reality pediatricians feel it is just the opposite. With the economic stress of the loss of jobs as well as the 24/7 confinement of a family in close quarters, abuse is often a by-product, and there is no advocate for the child at hand.
Even though May has been designated Mental Health Awareness month, COVID-19 has redefined how the nation addresses removal of the stigma attached to reaching out for mental health services. As a country we need additional mental health professionals and a delivery system of services that are not limited to one type of access. This is for real. If we don’t take care of our individual and collective mental health, COVID-19 will be able to claim thousands of lives through death, but millions more are in danger of losing their ability to live without depression, PTSD, addictions and other illnesses that will be debilitating, resulting in individuals living as dependents rather than contributors to society.
by Dr. Cathy Grace