MINNEAPOLIS — Right now, a lot of parents are busy buying school supplies for the upcoming school year, but health professionals say it's also a good time to start a conversation with your kids about mental health.
This summer the U.S. Attorney General issued a call for warning labels on social media platforms, similar to the warning labels on cigarettes.
Dr. Joshua Stein is a child and adolescent psychiatrist at PrairieCare. He said for many children their mental health concerns center around school.
"School is a tough place. There are academic demands, there are social demands, there's a lot to do,” Dr. Stein said. "At times we see a pattern where the last school year was really hard, summer comes, there's this deep breath out. It's summer, I can relax, and then all of a sudden it's August, and you're up against it again."
Stein said August also brings another concerning trend.
"In August we kind of clear out, things really drop off. I think there's this fallacy that school is around the corner, things will get better once school starts, school structures, school is supportive. We see this every year that are numbers go down in August and then all of a sudden they just shoot up and it’s usually in late September to early October when what happens.”
Every year the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services release their Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The latest survey showed a slight improvement in teen mental health since the peak of the pandemic. However, the numbers still show around 40% of students are experiencing persistent sadness or hopelessness.
Dr. Eliza Alexander is a psychologist at Hennepin Healthcare. She said parents who have children experiencing anxiety about the upcoming school year should start transitioning their children’s sleep schedule and routine.
"Trying to mimic the structures in the week leading up to school to be what the school routine is going to look like helps set students up for success,” Dr. Alexander says.
She said a simple conversation can also go a long way when it comes to addressing a child’s fears and anxieties.
"Parents can ask their kids like hey, school is starting in two weeks, how are you feeling about school?” She said.
Dr. Stein agrees, creating a new routine for the school year is crucial. He said parents should also consider a deep conversation with their children about social media.
"I see it as a really concerning thing, that you live too much life there, and not enough life in person," he said.
Dr. Stein said several studies and surveys in recent years have shown a concerning connection between social media use and mental health.
Gallup recently surveyed teenagers about their social media use and found that teens who spent more than five hours a day on social media, 41% said their mental health was poor to very poor.
However, with students who spent less than two hours per day on social media only 23% said their mental health was poor to very poor.
Gallup also recently surveyed college students to gauge their state of mental health. The survey showed 35% of college students have recently considered dropping out of school.
Of those students 67% said emotional stress was the main reason they were considering dropping out of school and 56% cited mental health as a major factor.