A new school year can bring a lot of stress and anxiety for students, and health experts say parents can help by starting a simple conversation.
MINNEAPOLIS — While many parents are busy right now buying school supplies for the new school year, health experts say this is also a good time to start conversations with their kids about mental health.
This summer, the U.S. Attorney General called for warning labels on social media platforms similar to those on cigarettes.
Dr. Joshua Stein, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at PrairieCare, said for many kids, mental health concerns center around school.
“School is a tough place. There are academic demands, there are social demands, there's a lot to do,” Dr. Stein said. “Sometimes we see a pattern where the previous school year was really tough, then summer comes along, you take a deep breath, you can relax because it's summer, and then all of a sudden it's August and you're faced with difficulties again.”
Stein said another worrying trend was emerging in August.
“In August, we get wiped out and things really drop off. I think there's a misconception that school is about to start and once school starts, things will get better, the school system, the schools will support us. Every year, we see the numbers go down in August and then all of a sudden they spike up and then we see what happens usually in late September, early October.”
The CDC and Department of Health and Human Services release a youth risk behavior survey every year, and the latest survey showed that teen mental health has improved slightly since the peak of the pandemic, but the numbers still show that about 40% of students experience persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.
Dr. Eliza Alexander, a psychologist at Hennepin Healthcare, said parents whose kids are feeling anxious about the upcoming school year should start making changes to their kids' sleep schedules and habits.
“Having a structure for the week before school starts that mimics what a school day routine will look like will set students up for success,” Dr. Alexander said.
She said simple conversations can go a long way in addressing a child's fears and anxieties.
“Parents can ask their kids, 'School is starting in two weeks, how do you feel about school?'” she said.
Dr. Stein agreed that creating new habits for the back-to-school season is important, and he said parents should also consider having in-depth conversations with their kids about social media.
“It's a real concern that people are living there for too long and not enough time to actually live it,” he said.
Dr Stein said several studies and surveys in recent years have shown a worrying link between social media use and mental health.
Gallup recently surveyed teenagers about their social media use and found that 41% of teens who spent more than five hours a day on social media reported that their mental health was poor or very poor.
However, among students who spent less than two hours a day on social media, only 23% reported their mental health being poor or very poor.
Gallup also recently conducted a survey to gauge the mental health of college students, finding that 35% of students had recently considered dropping out of school.
Among students, 67% said mental stress was the main reason they were considering dropping out of school, and 56% cited mental health as the main factor.
