After more than a year of pandemic, in which we have accumulated feelings of uncertainty, anguish about the future, anxieties about death, and in which we have become aware of our vulnerability, it is obligatory to attend to our mental health and evaluate the impact of all this emotional bombardment on our quality of life.
Mental health professionals are noticing an increase in the number of reasons for consultation on issues related to fear of death, hypochondriacal anxieties, hopelessness, diffuse sadness, restlessness and emotional lability (recurrent mood fluctuations), which also bring with them a greater tendency to impulsivity and aggressive behavior.
Living through this pandemic, the confinement and going through this post-pandemic psychosocial crisis, affects each person differently, depending on their age and developmental stage.
How has the pandemic affected children’s mental health?
In the youngest children, we observed delayed language development: they have lost during this last year the ability to observe and imitate, due to the masks that almost completely hide facial expression.
We also observed in these children a greater difficulty in the socialization process, especially with new people, outside the family environment. At the behavioral level, many are manifesting “selective mutism”.
Recommendations:
- Do not pathologize: These are normal reactions to an abnormal situation.
- Give them time: Little by little, with patience, calm and with the help of teachers, they will gain confidence and open up to the world of relationships.
- Play and sing: At these early ages, play is the main vehicle for learning. It is not necessary to pressure them or force them to speak or behave socially in a forced way, as this will only add more anxiety and the problem may become chronic.
- Observe: Normally, by keeping the child in familiar surroundings, establishing routines and living in a quiet family environment, the expressive language will improve and the anxiety in front of others will disappear. If the problem persists and generalizes to all environments and at different times, if somatizations and behavioral dyscontrol increase, it is advisable to consult a child psychologist.
Effects of the pandemic on the mental health of adolescents
As for pre-adolescents and adolescents, we observe in this post-pandemic moment a diversity of problems, with different levels of severity, depending on whether they are more or less able to verbalize and share their anxieties, worries and fears.
In other words, if there is affective communication in the family environment, empathy and intuition on the part of adults to be able to detect signs of discomfort, and if it is possible to talk, contrast, inform and contain an adolescent full of fears and anxieties, as described above, it will be easier to understand and access his or her inner world.
But to the extent that these adolescents close themselves off, with their isolation, the loss of their social world with peers, the loneliness and silence that makes them look even more lost and bewildered, it is more likely that the discomfort and psychological symptoms will be greater.
Overexposure to digital media, social networks and the virtual world increases their distorted perception of themselves and of reality.
We infanta juvenile psychologists are witnessing with great concern an increase in consultations of adolescents who are self-harming and seriously thinking about suicide.
The less they allow themselves to verbalize and vent their feelings, the more likely they are to function by accumulation, becoming “time bombs” that implode.
Self-injury gives them unrealistic and momentary relief from distress, as dopamine production is increased, but it becomes a risky behavior that must be attended to and suppressed. For each adolescent self-injurious behavior has a different purpose, some seek to anesthetize their suffering, others derive their emotional pain to physical pain, others are simply trying, imitating someone who has told them that they already do it, and some are dangerously trying and preparing to go further, for example, attempting suicide.
Something that is common in all cases, is that while they are self-injuring, they are thinking about death, they are recreating themselves in the emotional suffering they live with a lot of negativism, loss of perspective towards the future and it is precisely where it is important and urgent to intervene. Interrupt their isolation, confront, contain and ask for professional help.
It is also necessary to talk openly with them about life and death. The existential crisis of the adolescent is something necessary, normal, evolutionary, but living such a crisis in these times of pandemic makes it even more dramatic.
As adults, we can validate and legitimize their ambivalence towards death and help them to hold on to life, to find illusion and desires again, to be motivated by a future horizon where they see themselves fulfilling goals and overcoming difficulties.
It is necessary for adolescents in the post-pandemic period to have interlocutors who not only demand compliance with rules and duties, but who are also willing to support them and help them to find a positive self-image reinforced by affection.
In case of any worrying sign of self-harm or suicidal ideation, it is important to seek professional help.
Another guideline for parents is to be aware of their children’s use of technology and the virtual world, for which I recommend visiting is4k.es where you can find a lot of information, resources and a cybersecurity helpline.