Sep 24 Mental Health and Back-to-School

(September 24, 2024)

Going back to school can be an exciting time for children but it can also be a stressful or challenging time. Students experience a variety of emotions at the start of a new school year. Many students are eager to see their friends and socialize more while others may have a lot of anxiety about fitting in or making friends. Others may find it intimidating to go to a new school or even a new grade. It can also be difficult to get back into a routine after summer break. Sadly, students also have to worry about bullying, violence, and school shootings on top of everything else. Students can face different mental health challenges such as anxiety, social anxiety, stress, depression, school refusal, and fear of school. These can be significant concerns for both parents and students during the back-to-school season. To help navigate this time, here are some tips and resources that could help students and their families. If you are facing a significant mental health crisis and need immediate intervention, please call 988 the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Mental health should be prioritized along with physical health. Back to school time often comes with updated physicals, hearing checks, dental appointments, etc. One way to ensure that mental health is prioritized is to have open and consistent communication with your child. It is important to keep the lines of communication open so you can best understand how your child is feeling and to build your emotional connection with them. It is imperative that you practice active listening with your child. It is best to avoid multitasking to give your full attention to your child and make eye contact in a relaxed, uncritical manner. Giving your undivided attention will help you listen attentively so you can paraphrase what’s said to be clear on what they communicated. For some resources on how to communicate with your kids about mental health, check out this article on Fostering Child Mental Health from Women’s Mental Health and this resource on having connecting conversations with youth from the CDC.

Parents must be willing to provide mental health days to their children if needed. A mental health day can be just as significant as a sick day for a young person. Just like when you are physically sick, you need to rest to help your body’s immune system fight off illness and recover. When you are mentally not well, taking a day off to rest allows your nervous system a chance to reset and calm down. Legislation has been introduced that would provide Pennsylvania students with excused mental health days as part of a teen-led initiative of the PA Youth Advocacy Network. Led by the Jewish Healthcare Foundation and teens across the commonwealth, the PA Youth Advocacy Network, has been working alongside legislators to ensure that mental health days are considered an excused absence. Senate Bill 866 was co-written by teens from this network. You can read more about this bill, a companion bill, and the mental health advocacy day in Harrisburg last fall in a previous blog post.

Healthy habits need to be established to contribute to better mental health. Students need to have consistent sleep routines. According to the CDC, children ages 6-12 should get nine to 12 hours of sleep per night, while teens 13-18 should get eight to 10 hours. On the other hand, if you notice your child is sleeping too much, this could be an indication that they are struggling with depression, anxiety, or another mental health challenge. Physical exercise and healthy eating habits can also affect overall mental health. It is also important to balance educational demands with extracurricular activities and socialization.

Speaking of socializing, we have to address social media. Social media can have a significant impact on youth mental health. It is very important for families to put healthy boundaries into place surrounding social media. Check out this blog about social media and mental health for more information. NAMI compiled some resources that may be very helpful for families during this back to school time.

Lastly, parents and families should not shy away from seeking professional help if needed. We need to acknowledge that some children and youth may face mental health challenges that may require professional support. Students should be encouraged to seek support from school counselors, mental health professionals within the school, and/or outside of the school. Allies for Children has spent the past year conducting a gap analysis across all of Allegheny County schools to see what mental health supports are currently available. What we have found is the demand is higher than the available resources. Students and families should talk to the school counselors at their respective schools to see what is available. This guide from Kidsburgh provides some useful information and resources for families to look into as well. If families are unable to access the professional mental health treatments that they need, they can also look at community based organizations (CBOs) and out-of-school time (OST) providers for some informal mental health support until professional help can be obtained.

Check out some local organizations who are doing work to support youth mental health:
The Beacon
UpStreet
Latino Community Center

Please also check out our report, “Addressing Mental Health in Schools,” for additional information.

Heather Wilkes, Allies for Children Policy Manager