07 September,2021 07:30 AM IST | Mumbai | Somita Pal
Behavioural issues have developed in children as many lost their loved ones to the second wave of the pandemic. Representation pic
With the pandemic taking a toll on the mental health of children, health experts from across the city have been getting requests from schools to hold special workshops on psychological issues to help students, teachers and parents deal with the stress of virtual learning.
"Principals of various schools have been approaching us to conduct workshops for teachers, parents and children. This wasn't the case in the pre-pandemic days. Earlier we used to be approached to deal more with exam-related stress, especially for parents and students of Std X and XII," said Dr Seema Hingorrany, clinical psychologist.
"Everyone thought that schools would open by December 2020, but the second wave of the pandemic made the situation even more difficult. This is when we saw more number of schools stressing on mental health than academics. It is a welcome sign," she added. Dr Hingoranny said that principals had been calling her to conduct sessions on post-traumatic stress management for children and parents.
She further said, "Many children lost their loved ones in the second wave. The principal of a school told me that they noticed behavioural issues in one of their students. On checking, they found that he lost his grandparents, aunt and uncle to Covid. Many like him are dealing with the loss of their loved ones. Post traumatic stress disorder is something common and I am glad that schools are holding therapy sessions to address it."
Dr Hingoranny said, "Schools also want to address issues like switching off the cameras while classes are on and attention deficit. Lot of importance is being given to have a balance between mental health and studies by the schools," she added.
Psychiatrist Dr Anjali Chhabria, founder of Mindtemple institute of behavioural science, which usually looks into mental health needs of corporate professionals, said that there has been a multifold increase in demand for similar workshops for children, parents and teachers.
"Everyone has been experiencing something different, which is new and extremely difficult to handle and adjust to. For children, socialising has completely stopped, and it has led to anxiety. Meeting friends, playing with them and learning with them are parts of a child's growth," she said.
Dr Chhabria, whose institute has been holding one workshop every week for children, said, "Lack of attention in online classes, turning off the cameras while the class is on, getting bored and frustrated are some of the common problems. Teachers often find it difficult to manage children online. Unlike a physical class, it becomes difficult for a teacher to check on each student online. Also, the teacher is taking the class from home, so s/he has to deal with other problems as well. The workshops are aimed to help them cope better," said Dr Chhabria.
Dr Harish Shetty, senior psychiatrist, Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital, who has been holding two such workshops every week in schools, said, "We are identifying new issues during the workshops. Many kids report about irritable parents and lack of sensitivity towards them. Many suffer from listlessness, excessive worry and irrationals fears. Few also have depression due to prolonged isolation."
