CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – “Brielle,” 10, an upcoming fifth-grader at a Clarksville-Montgomery County elementary school, was excited when she learned school was out due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March.

However, as the break extended into summer vacation and life as she knew it changed, her mom said Brielle began to struggle mentally. And now she’s again preparing to adjust to more changes as school begins at the end of the month.

“I don’t think any of us realized this was going to be such a long period of time,” said Brielle’s mother. The mother’s name and the girl’s actual name aren’t being used for the sake of the girl’s privacy.

“That excitement quickly turned to depression. Not being able to play with even the neighbors outside took a toll on her. I noticed she started isolating herself. She was more down and not talking as much. She had no interest in going outside after awhile even when I offered. It’s like she lost her desire to live. … That was the biggest thing I saw change, she had zero desire to interact with anybody, and it lasted all summer.”

Beth Hail, regional vice president at Centerstone Behavioral Health, said they’ve seen a variety of mental health issues in school-age children lately.

“Some of this anxiety could also be attributed to the instability of their everyday schedule. Since many children haven’t been able to participate in their normal school and extracurricular activities, this has caused some anxiety and frustration,” Hail said.

“These activities are very important in the social development of children, and when they aren’t able to participate, children’s behaviors might become more aggressive, depressive or show signs of anxiety. There is also a lot of depression we are observing due to a loss of structure and activities that they were used to doing.”

Here are three things parents can do to help them.

1. Discuss the coming changes

With school beginning Aug. 31, and another shift in their daily schedule, parents should be alert as their child transitions to either in-person or virtual school.

Hail said parents should talk to their children about the changes and plan ahead.

“Encourage children to discuss concerns they have about starting school again. It’s important to acknowledge that this is new to all of us, and we don’t know what will happen,” Hail said. “However, the parent can let their child know it’s vital to ask questions and to discuss any fears or concerns they might have. Revisiting these conversations frequently during the transition will be helpful, as the issues may change.”

Brielle will be going to the CMCSS K-12 Virtual program this fall.

“We are all trying to convince her virtual school will be great and she will see her classmates, it’ll just be on a screen,” Brielle’s mom said. “I know it will be different. She won’t have the lunch time to talk to friends. She won’t have PE to move around, she won’t get to switch classes. There’s so much unknown, but we are trying to be optimistic.”

The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System has acknowledged that the mental health of their students is something they will need to address.

“Our team is continuing to develop and refine social and emotional learning structures, processes and supports for the upcoming school year,” said Anthony Johnson, schools spokesman. ” Over the coming weeks, we will be releasing public health/social emotional videos and other resources for parents and students.”

2. Create structure and schedules 

“Things that would be helpful are to get back to a regular schedule,” Hail said. “However, parents must understand this won’t happen overnight. Help the child develop their schedule that includes more frequent breaks, regular bedtime, less video/game time, and study/homework time.

“One great way to do this is to have the parents model this type of schedule. When the child takes a 15-minute stretch break, make sure the parent does this too (no computers or phones).”

Johnson said parents can partner with the schools to develop structure and schedules at home.

“Children thrive within structured environments, and it is important to provide opportunities during the day for children to be creative, read and discuss what they are reading, and participate in physical activity,” Johnson said. “It is a good idea to create a daily structure in the mornings and afternoons for children to do these things now and into the school year.”

Hail said establishing structure will take effort, but consistency will pay off.

“Since many organizations shut down in March, many children and families have had little to no structure, because there wasn’t a need,” Hail said.

“Parents will probably see some excitement in children as their schedules start to return to normal. However, some children might have trouble sleeping due to being anxious of the unknown (school and activities being so different from before). Parents also might notice children having trouble staying focused on school work. … It doesn’t take long for any of us to get out of a routine, so we might anticipate that it will take children some time to get back to their regular schedules.”

3. Offer support and seek help 

Brielle’s mom said when her daughter lost interest in going outside altogether, which was something she loved to do, started isolating herself, staying on her tablet and began having crying spells, she knew it was time to get her evaluated and diagnosed.

The doctors said it was not uncommon.

“They agreed a lot of kids are going through a depressive state, that some wanted to go back to school, and that her symptoms were normal,” Brielle’s mom said. “They diagnosed her with depression. I’m happy we got her a diagnosis so we can be aware there’s something going on. I’m also sad. I don’t know when things are going to go back to normal.”

Having supportive relationships and knowing help is available is important.

“Trusted adults in a child’s life should let the child know they are interested in his/her activities, respect his/her feelings, and genuinely want to know how the child is feeling,” Johnson said.

“During this time of fear and uncertainty, children will look to adults for information and comfort. It is important to provide evidence-based information to reduce fears and to seek mental health services or other support when needed. CMCSS has a counselor referral system available to all students and employees via ClassLink. The district will be providing more information to families on how to access this resource if they do not already know how.”

Who to contact

The following resources are available to parents:

About Centerstone: Centerstone remains fully operational and continuing to serve our clients and communities. To reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposure at this time, most appointments are being conducted via telehealth. Call Centerstone at 1-877-HOPE123 (877-467-3123) or go to centerstoneconnect.org to learn more.