Depression in children after COVID

The article was professionally consulted with Master, Doctor Phan Ngoc Hai - Doctor of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health of people worldwide. Months of stalemate, round-the-clock exposure to negative news, and the loss of close loved ones has had a disturbing impact on mental health, not just adults but children as well. There have been reports of increased domestic violence, abuse and abandonment increasing rates of depression among children after COVID.

Children and parents are among those struggling with post-COVID mental health issues. At the same time, people with pre-existing mental health conditions are even more at risk for the effects of COVID-19 depression.
Hundreds of children have lost loved ones to the COVID-19 pandemic, including in some cases their parents. Coping with grief is hard and even more so for children who may have never had to endure pain and death at such a young age. Many children are depressed or show signs of depression or are falling into depression, making it impossible for them to live a normal life.
Post-COVID sometimes causes children to have cough, chest pain, runny nose, shortness of breath, shortness of breath, poor appetite for a long time. If the child is accompanied by depression, the child's ability to develop physically and mentally is significantly reduced. Depression often accompanies anxiety, depression in children after COVID makes children stressed, lost or have attention and learning disorders. These symptoms must last for at least two weeks to be diagnosed as post-COVID childhood depression.
On the other hand, each outbreak of the pandemic will at any time limit people's lives. Accordingly, when children are kept indoors, it is difficult for parents to prevent children from feeling sad and depressed during this period of canceled activities and social distancing. While parents are constantly looking for ways to keep their children's spirits up, COVID depression will always leave a child seemingly trapped in a negative mood - feeling hopeless and unable to enjoy anything. what. Therefore, the problem of depression in children caused by the pandemic needs to be properly recognized and children may need active help to recover to normalcy.

Signs of depression in children can be easy to ignore, especially during adolescence, as children at this age are often moody. However, with sadness and irritability pervasive during this time of crisis, these signs may be even easier to spot but ignored by adult family members as COVID-related depression can be devastating. can affect everyone. Likewise, post-COVID childhood depression is having a hard time getting attention because children often don't recognize their own symptoms. Symptoms of depression in children after COVID include:
Unusual sadness or irritability, persistent even when social circumstances have changed and health has recovered from the outbreak Loss of interest in activities that used to be enjoyed by children Decrease feelings of expectation Changes in weight, possibly weight gain or weight loss Changes in sleep patterns Severe self-evaluations, such as thinking "you're ugly, I'm not good, I'll never make friends or go out." Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness Thinking or attempting suicide If some of these symptoms persist for at least two weeks, parents need to think about the possibility of depression in their children after COVID , especially when the child stay indoors for extended periods of time.

3.1. Help your child feel comfortable talking about his or her feelings The basic thing that parents can do to support a child with depression is to foster a family environment in which children feel comfortable sharing. their thoughts and feelings. Parents need to take the time to sit down and discover what their child is doing, thinking, or wanting, although sometimes a child may need a bit of a stern reminder. With so much negativity going on in the world, older kids may worry that their feelings don't matter and younger kids may not have the words to explain what they're feeling. see. Therefore, parents need to find a time and, if possible, a suitable place for uninterrupted communication. If parents are in the habit of talking to their children and children know they will be heard without judgment, it is more likely that parents will have their children express their thoughts on what is going on.
If a child is experiencing sadness or depression when he or she is locked inside, take a moment to talk about why. It is easy for children to say “virus” and stop there. However, encouraging your child to be specific can help both of you better understand what's going on and how you can help. For example, a child may suffer from depression due to being indoors for months, struggling with boredom or losing regular activities outside such as going to school or playing with friends. Children may feel frustrated about suddenly canceled events or isolated from friends if they become ill. Older children will feel anxious about the future, school plans, experience disturbances or fear that themselves or a loved one may get sick, or even die at any time.
When children share, parents validate their child's feelings by listening without judgment and without trying to correct. At the same time, parents should express sympathy sincerely and show children that children always have a fulcrum to listen to.
3.2. Take steps to engage your child with depression If you're worried your child is falling into depression, don't panic. There are many things parents can do to help their children, by encouraging them to change the way they think and manage their emotions that can help eliminate severe depression before it gets worse. than. Start in the following ways:
Encouraging children to participate in social activities, playing sports after the abolition of social distancing will give children a sense of accomplishment, fun, enjoyment or accomplishment. community every day. Children with depression often exaggerate problems or events in a negative light. At this time, parents need to help their children avoid exaggerated obsessions about the current bad things, such as teaching them how to exercise and eat better to quickly recover from COVID-19. Learn to accept different circumstances. These are uncertain times. There is no guarantee as to when the pandemic will end and things will return to the way they were. Therefore, parents need to guide children to know that the only way is to live with it. Practicing mindfulness, mental yoga, or deep breathing can help your child accept the uncertainty of the moment. At the same time, parents can only help children when they have confidence that they can manage themselves. Getting stuck in distorted or unrealistic negative thought patterns can contribute to post-COVID childhood depression and make pain feel overwhelming. For example, when children get sick, they may think this will go on forever and they will never see their friends again. At this point, parents need to help their children understand the fact that this will not go on forever, the child will recover from the illness and go back to school. Therefore, some activities that can be done to help children feel more connected with friends in the meantime can be organized such as online learning, online chat groups through applications on smart technology. Make new goals: When children are sick or experiencing post-COVID sequelae, it is inevitable that children will lose something valuable in their lives. Therefore, parents should orient their children to find another goal instead. For example, if a trip this weekend doesn't make it, ask your child what he or she wants for a trip next summer. Also, suggest new skills that can be learned to apply when the situation is repeatable. Teach children to appreciate the good things received. Encourage them to list each day the things they are grateful for and the individuals they are indebted to or the things that make them happy. Then, the parent will ask the child how can the child express that gratitude or spread it to others.

If a child continues to have symptoms of COVID depression despite the above measures, parents must allow their child to receive help from a mental health professional. Forcing a teen with depression to attend depression treatment can take persistence, because children often feel hopeless and it can be difficult for children to believe that they can recover. But treatment protocols can really help in these cases. If your child is adamant about not leaving the house, he or she can still receive depression screening and remote guidance via smartphone. However, if a child is contemplating suicide, it's important to detect thoughts early and get them checked out as soon as possible.
In summary, COVID season depression is a psychiatric sequelae manifesting in varying degrees, occurring in both adults and children. Accordingly, in this stressful time, monitoring the mental health of parents themselves is just as important as being aware of the needs of their children. The problem of depression in children after COVID can be completely adjusted at home when parents have understanding and concern for their children. In severe cases, it's important to take your child to the doctor as soon as possible, as this is crucial to the resilience a child needs to get through this crisis and avoid developmental consequences. of children in the future.