August 2024

By: Kelcey Norris Mahoning Matters

Back-to-school season brings new classes, new milestones, and, for some students, renewed feelings of anxiety. Dr. Selena Magalotti with Akron Children’s Hospital wants students and parents to know they’re not alone in feeling back-to-school anxiety. “Back-to-school anxiety is something that a lot of kids struggle, and sometimes it can be dismissed, but it really is a big struggle for kids,” said Dr. Magalotti. “We can help to support them and find a positive outlook on things, try to help them to also see the positive aspects of school, not all the scary things, right?” Dr. Magalotti said back-to-school anxiety symptoms can start for students of any age about to make significant transitions, such as entering middle and high school or going to a new school. “Kids can have back-to-school anxiety, even without having an underlying anxiety disorder, and lots of kids can struggle with back-to-school anxiety in addition to an underlying anxiety disorder. Kids can show avoidance, get distressed, irritable, have physical struggles, whether that’s like stomach upset, headache, mood changes and just get very distressed,” said Dr. Magalotti.

HOW CAN PARENTS HELP WITH BACK-TO-SCHOOL ANXIETY?

• Getting good sleep. “A bedtime routine and getting good sleep are just so tremendously important for all people, and especially in kids,” said Dr. Magalotti. When kids don’t sleep well, everything the next day is much more complicated.

• Normalize anxiety at home. Doctors recommend that parents let their children know it’s normal to feel nervous. “Be open to talking about it, about how adults struggle with these things,” said Dr. Magalotti.

• Familiarize them with the environment. Students will feel more comfortable if they are familiar with the new environment, like practicing the route to the bus stop or visiting the classrooms to meet their new teachers.

• Positive support. When your child returns home praise them and ask them about their day

Understanding and using a simple 5-point Scale in your family can be immensely beneficial for parents as they check in on their children's mental health. Using this scale on a regular basis with your kids can give you valuable insight into the emotional intensity your children are experiencing and provide appropriate support.

Trying to tell the difference between what expected behaviors are and what might be the signs of a mental condition isn’t always easy. There’s no easy test that can let someone know if there is mental illness or if actions and thoughts might be typical behaviors of a person or the result of a physical illness.

Each illness has its own symptoms, but common signs of mental illness in adults and adolescents can include the following:

• Excessive worrying or fear
• Feeling excessively sad or low
• Confused thinking or problems concentrating and learning
• Extreme mood changes, including uncontrollable “highs” or feelings of euphoria
• Prolonged or strong feelings of irritability or anger
• Avoiding friends and social activities
• Difficulties understanding or relating to other people
• Changes in sleeping habits or feeling tired and low energy
• Changes in eating habits such as increased hunger or lack of appetite
• Changes in sex drive
• Difficulty perceiving reality (delusions or hallucinations, in which a person experiences and senses things that don’t exist in objective reality)
• Inability to perceive changes in one’s own feelings, behavior or personality (”lack of insight” or anosognosia)
• Overuse of substances like alcohol or drugs
• Multiple physical ailments without obvious causes (such as headaches, stomach aches, vague and ongoing “aches and pains”)
• Thinking about suicide
• Inability to carry out daily activities or handle daily problems and stress
• An intense fear of weight gain or concern with appearance

Mental health conditions can also begin to develop in young children. Because they’re still learning how to identify and talk about thoughts and emotions, their most obvious symptoms are behavioral. Symptoms in children may include the following:

• Changes in school performance
• Excessive worry or anxiety, for instance fighting to avoid bed or school
• Hyperactive behavior
• Frequent nightmares
• Frequent disobedience or aggression
• Frequent temper tantrums

Where To Get Help

Don’t be afraid to reach out if you or someone you know needs help. Learning all you can about mental health is an important first step.

With the help of Feeding the Gulf Coast, Satsuma High School has a food pantry for students. The students are allowed to select breakfast, lunch, and dinner items for the week for him or herself and the number of family members in their household. Distribution is held on Thursdays and it is confidential. Please see Nurse Jackie or Nurse Threlkeld for details. Feeding the Coast works with the counselor and mental health coordinator to send weekend meals home with the Lee Elementary students. Contact Mrs. Giles or Mrs. White for details.

• 2nd -Coloring Book Day
• 4th -U.S. Coast Guard Day
• 7th-First Day of School
• 8th -International Cat Day
• 9th -Book Lovers Day
• 12th -International Youth Day
• 15th -Relaxation Day
• 21st -Senior Citizens Day
• 26th -Women's Equality Day
• 26th- National Dog Day

As the Mental Health Coordinator, my role is to enhance the Satsuma City Schools Guidance Program by providing assistance to students, families, and other stakeholders. I provide students with the support they need to be successful at school or home, by connecting them with various community resources to meet their individual needs.