Mental Health of Teens w/Quarantine

[legaleagle]

Good article discussing study showing that teens are actually doing well with quarantine.

https://www.theatlantic.com/family/a...antine/616695/

[AngB]

I stopped reading after the May- July timeline which I feel like isn't really a great representation of US life as we approach the fall/winter. A couple weeks ago one of my friends' teenager was admitted to the hospital for suicidal thoughts and kept for like a week, which may have happened anyway, but almost certainly it has been exacerbated by virtual school demands /quarantine/etc. May-July it seems like it had just started, I'm curious how these teens are doing months later...

[bisous]

I stopped reading after the May- July timeline which I feel like isn't really a great representation of US life as we approach the fall/winter. A couple weeks ago one of my friends' teenager was admitted to the hospital for suicidal thoughts and kept for like a week, which may have happened anyway, but almost certainly it has been exacerbated by virtual school demands /quarantine/etc. May-July it seems like it had just started, I'm curious how these teens are doing months later...

So interesting that you mention this. I too think we need to look at this period of time in phases. I would bet that for many things have gotten worse now than they were in May to July. I don't think this negates the study. I just think it probably needs to be done again to get an accurate pulse on the whole period. I think this SHOULD be done and could be quite instructive.

My teens seem to be doing well. They appreciate the increased sleep and family time. But the uncertainty and repetitive nature of life is starting to wear on them a little bit too. At least, that's my observation. As a family we are supportive of social distancing measures but I'm anxious to find out more information about what we can do to help our mental health collectively!

[robinsmommy]

I agree with Angie. I don’t think that timeframe supports where things are at now. Things were very different a few months ago, numbers lower, going into summer, etc. School expectations have alsochanged quite a bit between spring and now for our state. Kids are expected to work much harder.

It also does not agree with what I see at home. Dd1 is an introvert and is doing ok, but has bad days, esp as she is a senior and there is so much unknown for the next year. Dd2 is very much an extrovert and is having a much harder time coping.

[westwoodmom04]

The CDC did a study over the same time period that reached the opposite conclusion. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6932a1.htm They found that Covid and the associated precautions has adversely affected the mental health of all, but particularly young people.

My kids became much happier when they were able to go to the pool and sports practice this summer and another jump this fall when they returned to in person school. Their schools allow parents to chose each month whether to go in person and remote, and both schools are now at over 90 percent in person (hybrid at middle and high school level, 5 days for younger).

[carolinamama]

I feel like teen mental health is a topic we should have been talking about more even pre-pandemic. Rates of anxiety and depression were already rising in this age group and in our county, 1 in 10 teens attempt suicide in a given year last time I saw the statistics. The added challenges of virtual learning, social distancing and a pandemic have thrown lighter fluid on the embers for many. And it feels privileged to concentrate on mainly those factors. Plenty of kids don't have stable housing or know where their next meal will come from, let alone worry about logging on for class.

All that being said, some kids are doing better, some the same, and others worse. Mine are in the okay category. Some days seem good, some are downright awful. None of it is ideal, but I try to speak positively around them while allowing sadness, anger and disappointment. Pretty sure none of us will come out of this completely unscathed but that's almost a certainty n life, pandemic or not. I'm not even the same person I was back in early March.

[bisous]

The CDC did a study over the same time period that reached the opposite conclusion. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6932a1.htm They found that Covid and the associated precautions has adversely affected the mental health of all, but particularly young people.

My kids became much happier when they were able to go to the pool and sports practice this summer and another jump this fall when they returned to in person school. Their schools allow parents to chose each month whether to go in person and remote, and both schools are now at over 90 percent in person (hybrid at middle and high school level, 5 days for younger).

Isn't that study citing adults? The Atlantic article acknowledges that adults are generally in a worse position with regard to mental health.

[bisous]

I feel like teen mental health is a topic we should have been talking about more even pre-pandemic. Rates of anxiety and depression were already rising in this age group and in our county, 1 in 10 teens attempt suicide in a given year last time I saw the statistics. The added challenges of virtual learning, social distancing and a pandemic have thrown lighter fluid on the embers for many. And it feels privileged to concentrate on mainly those factors. Plenty of kids don't have stable housing or know where their next meal will come from, let alone worry about logging on for class.

All that being said, some kids are doing better, some the same, and others worse. Mine are in the okay category. Some days seem good, some are downright awful. None of it is ideal, but I try to speak positively around them while allowing sadness, anger and disappointment. Pretty sure none of us will come out of this completely unscathed but that's almost a certainty n life, pandemic or not. I'm not even the same person I was back in early March.

I think this is so true. I feel like I've been changed in ways I can't begin to describe. My kids seem to be doing ok, but I won't put it out of the realm of possibility that they have also changed in dramatic ways. And may change yet again before this is all through. I feel like there can be no complacency and we have to monitor so many things constantly! And our kids are the lucky ones who have parents that do monitor them and have the bandwidth to make choices to optimize their health in all ways.

[westwoodmom04]

Isn't that study citing adults? The Atlantic article acknowledges that adults are generally in a worse position with regard to mental health.

The youngest group and that with the highest rate of issues is 18 to 24. So not technically high-school, but still teenagers in there.

[gatorsmom]

Mine are virtual learning this year and it’s a mixed bag. All 4 tell me relativity often how hard it is to learn online, to not see their friends on a daily basis, to miss out on the jokes their friends discuss online from the school day. But they get along great with each other, I’m allowing more Snapchat and fortnite time with their friends, and I host a outside get-together with their friends every Friday. They play on scooters, bikes, skateboards, play tag, swim in the pool and this weekend we are playing a movie on an outdoor projector. I’ll have a campfire going too. We invite the same kids over and their parents and those kids are either homeschooling or virtual leaning too. These Friday get-togethers have been CRITICAL for their mental health.

For my 2 kids taking antidepressants we increased their dosage slightly. That has helped too. And when they are really down we all talk about how they are not alone. They need frequent reminders that this sucks for everyone in some way. They say those talks help. Given that the positive COVID19 cases are increasing in Wisconsin (and it’s not even cold yet. It’ll be worse when the really cold weather hits, I think), I’m sure we made the right decision to VL. But fall of next year they will have to go back to in-person school. This can’t go on for another year for them. It’ll be just too hard.