TAKING A STAND AGAINST BULLYING
( continued from page 13 ) creased depression and suicidal ideation , but like everything else , it isn ’ t so simple . We also know that the quantity of time spent online or on social media platforms is not the only factor that contributes to the mental health of the user . There are unhealthy habits : addictive behaviors and nighttime use that have stronger correlations with depression . Cyberbullying has come to the forefront in recent years and there is concern that since all socialization is occurring online , that the rate of cyberbullying will increase as well . Richard Armitage , a General Practitioner in the United Kingdom , states , “ The increased potential for large audiences and anonymous attacks , coupled with the permanence of posts and reduced adult supervision , render cyberbullying a significant threat to child mental health .”
However , when we were all asked to stay home to prevent the spread of COVID-19 , we had to rely on the agathokakological nature of social media . Yes , it can be dangerous , but social media and online meeting platforms allowed us to stay in touch while apart , and adolescents used them as well . Some patients told me that weekly online meetings with their friends were the only thing they looked forward to . It can be easy to blame social media , and it has its downfalls , but there are some positive effects . There are ways to make social media safer for adolescents , and I don ’ t recommend them for all . Kids should be open with their parents . Accounts should be set with maximum privacy settings , and kids should only “ friend ” or follow people known in real life . Honestly , this topic is so large that it could ( and should ) be its own topic . It isn ’ t going to go away , and the pandemic definitely accelerated our reliance on our online presence .
There are other factors to consider regarding the increased rates of suicide attempts . In person school was replaced by NTI during the end of the 2019-2020 and most of the 2020-2021 school years . The experience with NTI has varied greatly among families , and this is another topic that I think will be studied in the years to come . Students typically have many adults in their lives , and they form a safety net . If one person misses a warning sign of depression , then another can still catch it . However , during the lockdowns and NTI , students had only online classes with teachers , and they missed out on school staff , administration , coaches and counselors , who were all a part of the safety net . Lockdowns also meant many offices were closed , which made it more difficult to access mental health services , even if someone in trouble wanted to reach out .
Already high depression rates have gone up since the pandemic . We know that unhealthy reliance on social media can also hurt mental health . The 2021-2022 school year is in person this year , and as I watch cases rise due to the delta variant , I can only hope that our students remain in class this year ( and who knows what the next variant will do to us ). The AAP does recommend in-person school with universal masking currently . So students will again be surrounded by their safety net . We should continue to talk to them about their online presence making sure that they are using social media in a safe and healthy way . In addition , Healthy Children has ten things parents can do to prevent suicide ( see below ), and you can find more information at HealthyChildren . org .
References :
Nirmita Panchal , Rabah Kamal , Cynthia Cox , Rachel Garfield . The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use . Kaiser Family Foundation . February 10 , 2021
Alex R . Kemper , Cody A . Hostutler , Kristen Beck , Cynthia A . Fontanella , Jeffrey A . Bridge . Depression and Suicide-Risk Screening Results in Pediatric Primary Care . Pediatrics . 2021 ; 148 ( 1 ) e2021049999
Yard E , Radhakrishnan L , Ballesteros MF , et al . Emergency Department Visits for Suspected Suicide Attempts Among Persons Aged 12-25 Years Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic- United States , January 2019-May 2021 . MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2021 ; 70:888-894 . DOI : http :// dx . doi . org / 10.15585 / mmwr . mm7024e1
Vidal , C ., Lhaksampa , T ., Miller , L ., & Platt , R . ( 2020 ). Social media use and depression in adolescents : a scoping review . International review of psychiatry ( Abingdon , England ), 32 ( 3 ), 235 – 253 . https :// doi . org / 10.1080 / 09540261.202 0.1720623
Stephen W . Patrick , Laura E . Henkhaus , Joseph S . Zickafoose , Kim Lovell , Alese Halvorson , Sarah Loch , Mia Letterie and Matthew M . Davis . Well-being of Parents and Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic : A National Survey . Pediatrics . October 2020 , 146 ( 4 ) e2020016824 ; DOI : https :// doi . org / 10.1542 / peds . 2020-016824
Dr . Felton is a pediatrician with Norton Children ’ s Medical Group in Germantown .
HEALTHY CHILDREN ' S 10 TEN THINGS PARENTS CAN DO TO PREVENT SUICIDE
1 . Don ’ t let your teen ’ s anxiety or depression snowball .
2 . Listen , even if your teen isn ’ t talking . Most kids who are thinking about suicide will show it in subtle behaviors .
3 . Never ignore threats of suicide as teenage melodrama . 4 . Seek professional help right away . 5 . Talk about your feelings . 6 . Encourage your teen not to isolate .
7 . Recommend exercise .
8 . Urge your teen not to demand too much from themselves .
9 . Remind them that the response to treatment is not immediate .
10 . If you keep guns at home , store them safely or move all firearms elsewhere until the crisis has passed .
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