Mental Health Panel Focuses on Children’s Health During Pandemic

DULUTH, Minn.– It’s been mentally draining during the pandemic after more than a year and of course it affects adults, as well as kids and teens.

The organization called Health Equity Northland brought it experts for a virtual event to talk about help for kids and families who feel drained from a year of distance learning and cancelled plans.

Experts say this is an important time in a kid’s life when they build friendships through school and activities. But those have been largely taken away because of this past year, which can also put an extra level of stress on parents.

“We know that isolation is already bringing a really negative effects on us as human beings we are by nature social beings, and being cut off from that social outlet can have tremendous ramifications,” said Charles Fai, an MA and member for the Duluth Counseling Center.

And it’s not just kids, experts say 56 percent of those ages 18-24 are showing signs of depression and anxiety.

The loss of normalcy without seeing friends and loved ones give students different types of grief. That can lead to a change of behaviors like lack of motivation, lack of or too much sleep, and inability to manage their emotions.

“For a young adult walking into college during the pandemic, they’ve already lost so much and even if the type of loss is not obvious,” said Nomcebo Nkosi, a health services councilor at UMD.

Experts say parents should talk about these things with their kids, and be patient with them because they might not be able to fully explain what they’re feeling. They add it’s better to deal with these issues now and prevent them from building and getting worse.