ARKANSAS, USA — Kids and teens have been up against two very chaotic and stressful years, which can take a major toll on their mental health.
“Counseling services tripled in the first six months that the pandemic was taking over and the increase has been steady since,” said Dawn Spragg, director of therapeutic services for Teen Action and Support Center (TASC).
TASC is a Northwest Arkansas non-profit that serves teens.
Nationally, the CDC reported between April and October of 2020, the number of mental health-related ER visits increased significantly for children and teens. 24% for the ages of 5-11 and 31% among those 12-17.
In Arkansas, counselors are seeing the same.
“We’ve probably done more suicide assessments in a year than we had done in five years,” Spragg said.
Showing counselors that the new norm may never feel normal for our youth.
“We are distant even when we are together. We don’t shake hands, we don’t hug, we cant read each other's facial expressions and it feels a little bit to teenagers like rejection. Like you don’t want to connect with me,” Spragg said.
While working alongside 13 to 19-year-olds, in the last two years Spragg has noticed the feeling of not being able to connect, it has become common and it's causing quite a few repercussions.
“It’s been a lot of kids struggling with anxiety and depression. Primarily anxiety and depression because of the isolation and the separation of people,” Spragg said.
This is affecting not only the big kids but the little kids too, just in a different way.
“One of the initial things that kids learn is the socialization of how to kind of function in a classroom how to sit down and line up all that kind of stuff how to play at recess and by not having that or having it a little stifled, it has an impact on them it causes stress,” said Hayden Shepherd, the director of intensive child services at Ozark Guidance.
But with this stress, there are steps you can take to help. Shepherd recommends parents and caregivers start with the basics.
“Improving the time that you spend together," Shepherd said. "Because everyone is so stressed out and we are in that stressful environment right now, our quality time becomes very important and it doesn’t have to be goal directed or have a certain conversation about a certain topic and it can be casual. And people with kids who are little, get on the floor with them and play, that’s all you need to focus on in that moment."
If you don’t see improvement after spending more quality time, it is recommended to call a doctor to get a professional opinion or look for resources such as TASC within your community, but in the meantime, the best thing mental health experts say you can do is to reach out.
“To find a safe place for them to get what they need to identify what they need and then find a safe place to do that and it doesn’t feel there are safe places for kids but there are,” Spragg said.
If you are struggling with mental health, here are some resources to help.
The suicide prevention hotline: 800-273-8255
TASC: 479-636-TASC (8272)
Arkansas Crisis Center: 888-274-7472