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common psychosocial stressors impacting kids and teens at home,” says Geetanjali Sahu, MD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist who joined Great Plains Health in September 2019. “Bullying is the most common stressor kids encounter at school, and particularly in middle school. It doesn’t take long to shatter someone’s self-esteem by telling them repeatedly that they’re not worth anything, and the impacts are significant and lifelong.” In its Community Health Needs Assessment, Great Plains Health identified increased access to mental and behavioral healthcare and education as one of the community’s six most significant needs. To meet that need, and meet it early, the health system hired Fran Rieken, a provisional licensed mental health practitioner at Great Plains Pediatrics in 2018, and Dr. Sahu as part of the psychiatric services team in 2019. Both promote involvement and support as the keys to better mental health among youth, which will translate to mentally healthy adults in the future. Both Dr. Sahu and Rieken tell parents who are concerned about their children’s mental health to look for specific symptoms like significant behavioral changes; changes in sleep, appetite and concentration; complaints of being physically tired all the time; or frequent worrying. “More worrisome signs include a child cutting themselves or talking about suicide, any signs of substance abuse or intoxication, or finding drug paraphernalia,” says Dr. Sahu. “Parents are pretty good at picking up on these signs. They know their kids the best and need to be aware of what’s going on. In many cases, what young people need is more supervision. Talk to your kids daily. Know what they do and who they’re with.” Parents and school districts should take bullying seriously, devoting attention to both the child being bullied and the Be there and aware
According to the World Health Organization, half of all mental health conditions begin by age 14, but signs of these issues are often undetected and untreated in most youth. Environmental stressors at home and at school often precipitate symptoms in kids and teens, which can be compounded by a genetic predisposition in some young people. “Family dysfunction, parents’ marital discord, lack of supervision, parental drug use and/or family financial struggles are
“Inmany cases, what young people need is more supervision. Talk to your kids daily. Know what they do andwho they’re with.”
Geetanjali Sahu, MD
bully. That serious approach can start with finding ways to build empathy in young children and letting older kids know someone is always there – at home and at school – to listen to their problems and help them find solutions. Whilemany issues could be handled just by offeringmore support and supervision, Dr. Sahu and Rieken agree that therapy and medication when deemed appropriate can be a helpful next step. If patients are suicidal, Dr. Sahu recommends more frequent sessions or inpatient hospitalizations and helps families develop safety plans. “What we do, and what we encourage parents, friends and schools to do, is to let young people know someone is concerned about them,” says Sahu. “There are people available when they want to reach out.” +
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