Health

HE A LTH • Fall 2022 17 IMAGE | ADOBE STOCK.COM surgeon general's report said. Emergency depart- ment visits for suspected suicide attempts increased by 51% in adolescent girls in the early part of 2021 compared to the same time period in 2019, and by 4% for adolescent boys. The reasons for this phenomenon go beyond just the pandemic. The police murder of George Floyd and the national racial reckoning of 2020, COVID-related violence against Asian Americans, gun violence, political polarization, growing con- cerns about climate change, and emotionally charged misinformation are contributing factors, according to the surgeon general's report. "Young people watched that eight-to-nine min- ute video of George Floyd, plus being isolated from their supports, violence, mass shootings, and the attack on capitol were really destabilizing for young people," said Fred Kaelin, executive director of the Shine Initiative, a Worcester nonprofit that works to remove the stigma around mental illness. "As adults we sort of forget, when all of it is all over the news and social media, that even school- aged people see it. It can be triggering." The surgeon general's advisory noted the chil- dren most at risk for mental health issues are kids from racial or ethnic minorities, LGBTQ youth, children who live in rural areas or who have lower socioeconomic status, kids from immigrant households, or those experiencing homelessness. More staff at Worcester schools have been des- ignated as social-emotional learning, Morse said. Schools are approaching their work in this area with a preventative mindset, rather than han- dling cases one at a time. This year, the school system plans to develop a Wellness Task Force, including community experts to design compre- hensive supports for students and families. Outside of that though, there's the issue of learning itself. Remote learning was not effective, despite the efforts of Worcester Public Schools teachers and staff, Morse said. Three years of learning were impacted by COVID; schools were mostly remote in the 2020-2021 school year, and the virus caused staff members and students to miss days of school last year, she said. Unsurprisingly, she said, the students who were most impacted were the ones in schools that serve higher numbers of lower-income families. "This will be a multi-year effort, and that we need to do all we can as this generation of stu- dents has a lot on the line. The longer you are behind, the harder it is to get caught up, and there are real implications to that," Morse said. "Getting our students to post-high school with the skills and opportunities to be successful in their next steps will be critically important." Services and stigma reduction Despite some pretty grim statistics about anxi- ety and depression among kids, the surgeon gen- eral's report said the pandemic wasn't all bad for the younger generation. Some kids got more sleep, spent more time with family, experienced less academic stress and bullying, and enjoyed more flexible schedules, the report said. At the Seven Hills Foundation, a Worcester nonprofit working in the area of youth mental health, children showed up to therapy more con- sistently when they had the option to do it remotely, President David Jordan said. "A lot of youth, particularly teenagers, are much more comfortable with social media and technology and prefer oftentimes a session that's done virtually through some sort of internet con- nection," Jordan said. "That's going to continue." Another reason that could be happening is the stigma, Jordan said. It's a lot less daunting to FaceTime someone from your house than it is to walk into a counselor's office and be confronted with direct evidence that you're struggling. Removing stigma around mental health is the mission of the Shine Initiative, and Kaelin said he's grateful the issue is getting a lot of attention. But, he said, topics in the media do have a life cycle, and he sees the still-present stigma in his work every day. Adults who need help often don't speak up, for fear of it affecting their jobs or live- lihoods, and kids absorb that, he said. "The promising thing is that young people are more comfortable talking about mental health. Teens we work with want their parents and teach- ers to go get help," he said. "We're just beginning to chip away at the stigma." H Youth mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of high school students reported poor mental health during COVID-19 said they experienced emotional abuse by parent or other adult at home experienced physical abuse by a parent or other adult at home reported a parent or other adult had lost a job of students said they experienced racism before or during pandemic 37% 55% 11% 29% 36%

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