Psychiatrist shares advice on understanding kids' mental health during back-to-school season

As families gear up for back-to-school season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Himanshu Agrawal says the added pressure children might be feeling as they prepare to start a new school year cannot be ignored.

TMJ4 NEWS IS COMMITTED TOHELPING PARENTS, STUDENTS ANDEDUCATORS MAKE THE BESTDECISIONS POSSIBLE ABOUTRETURNING TO SCHOOL.

ALL THISWEEK ... WE'RE TELLING STORIESTO GET STUDENTS SAFELY BACK TOSCHOOL.

MANY CONCERNS FROMPARENTS COME WITH VIRTUALLEARNING AND THE IMPACT THATHAS ON STUDENTS' MENTALHEALTH.

RYAN JENKINS SPOKEWITH A CHILD PSYCHIATRIST WHOSHARED ADVICE ON HELPING YOURFAMILY COPE.: WHETHER YOUR CHILD WILL BELEARNING IN A CLASSROOM, ORVIRTUALLY, THE ADDED PRESSUREYOUR CHILD MIGHT BE FEELING ASTHEY PREPARE TO START A NEWSCHOOL YEAR AMID THECORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC CAN'T BEIGNORED.

Itsoverwhelming.

I think themajority of us feel like that.MYRA DELAPAZ IS A MOTHER OFTHREE AND SAYS HER CHILDRENARE DOING THEIR BEST TO ADJUSTTO THE CHANGES COVID-19 HASFORCED UPON THEM.

BUT, AS THEYPREPARE TO RETURN TO A VIRTUALCLASSROOM THIS FALL, SHEWORRIES ABOUT THE EMOTIONALIMPACTS OF TOO MUCH SOCIALDISTANCING.

Obviouslyacademics are important butemotional and mental healthare like my first priority.MAYA ISN'T ALONE.

It'ssomething that were thinkingabout but we don't have theanswers to at all.

It'sdefinitely a struggle.FATHEROF TWO ISAIAH WEATHERALL HASTHE SAME CONCERNS... AS HETRIES TO KEEP HIS 14-YEAR-OLDAND HIS THREE YEAR OLD ...SAFE FROM THE SPREADINGVIRUS... CUTTING THE KIDS OFFFROM THEIR NORMAL SOCIALINTERACTIONS.Me and my wifeare constantly looking andtrying to figure out what elsewe can do to kind of likesupplement what's being lost...I TURNED TO DR. HIMANSHUAGRAWAL, AN ASSISTANTPROFESSOR OF PSYCHIATRY ANDBEHAVIORAL MEDICINE AT THEMEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN,TO ASK - WHAT CAN PARENTS DOTO CHECK IN ON THEIR CHILDREN?Take every opportunity tocheck in with them verballyand non-verbally DR. AGRAWAL'SSAYS BACK-TO-SCHOOL SEASON ISONE OF THE MOST STRESSFULTIMES FOR KIDS ... AND THISYEAR, WITH COVID-19'SDISRUPTIONS, THERE NEEDS TO BEAN INCREASED AWARENESS OF "REDFLAGS" THAT SIGNAL DEPRESSIONAND ANXIETY IN CHILDREN.

If achild has stopped enjoyingthings that they usually likedoing, or if the child isisolating too much in theirroom, or is more irritablethan usual, or is sleeping toolittle too much, or if they'reeating too little to much,those might be some red flagsto look out for.

HE ALSO SAYSTO ASK YOUR CHILD DIRECTLYABOUT THEIR FEELINGS AND TOKEEP AN EAR OPEN FORUNEXPLAINABLE PHYSICALCOMPLAINTS.

AND REMEMBER --NON-VERBAL REACTIONS TOEVERYTHING HAPPENING IN THEWORLD CAN ALSO HAVE AN IMPACTON THEIR MENTAL HEALTH.

How weare reacting to distressingnews, they're noticingeverything.

AS SOCIALDISTANCING GUIDELINES KEEPKIDS FROM THEIR FRIENDS, DR.AGRAWAL SUGGESTS GETTINGINNOVATIVE.

SCHEDULE SAFE,SPONTANEOUS PLAY DATES.

HESAID PHYSICAL ISOLATIONDOESN'T EQUAL SOCIAL ISOLATION.It becomes even more importantnow than ever to mitigatesocial isolationSO HERE'S YOURREBOUND RUNDOWNFOR KIDSSTRUGGLING WITH SOCIALISOLATION, SCHEDULE SAFE PLAYDATES.AND BE DIRECT WHENASKING THEM ABOUT THEIRFEELINGS.

IF YOU NOTICE SIGNSOF DEPRESSION IN YOUR CHILD... CONTACT YOUR PRIMARY CAREDOCTOR.IN MILWAUKEE, RYANJENKINS, TMJ-4 NEWS.FOR ALL OF THE "SAFELY BACK TOSCHOOL" STORIES WE'LL BEBRINGING YOU THIS WEEK... HEADTO TMJ4-DOT-COM SLASH REBOUNDAND LOOK FOR THE "KEEPING YOUSAFE" TA