Tips for school students and their parents about a variety of topics from Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) have been among the highlights of the ‘back to school’ season which ended in the beginning of the new academic year last week.
How to cope with school-related anxiety, stay mentally fit and safe from the problems of bullying, and staying safe on roads and in vehicles on the way to school and back to home were part of valuable guidelines unveiled by Qatar’s premier not-for-profit healthcare provider.
It is a fact that in the beginning of a new academic year, a certain amount of school-related anxiety or a rush of various emotions is normal among students. Parents need to monitor their children’s behaviour, as suggested by Dr Saleem al-Nuaimi, a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist with HMC’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, a specialised multi-disciplinary service for children and young people up to the age of 18.
While school anxiety is not a psychiatric diagnosis, when the condition is severe, it may be a symptom of an anxiety disorder and could signal the need for professional intervention.
Worldwide, 10-20% of children and adolescents experience some form of a mental disorder before the age of 18. According to the World Health Organisation, half of all mental illnesses begin by the age of 14. If untreated, these conditions severely influence children’s development, their educational attainments and their potential to live fulfilling and productive lives.
Dr al-Nuaimi says there are several things that parents can do to help reduce or stabilise school-related anxiety, including being empathetic and listening to their child’s concerns. He recommends reassuring the child that it’s normal to feel a little scared in new situations and says ensuring the young person is eating well and getting enough sleep are also important. Dr al-Nuaimi also recommends trying to help the child focus on the positive aspects of going back to school, such as spending time with their friends and learning new things. He suggests that parents and their children go and see the school together and meet their child’s teachers before the start of school. Further, he stresses the importance of not supporting a child in avoiding school and says the more proactive parents are about investigating the source of their child’s anxiety, the better.
While advising parents and teachers how to help students stay mentally fit and safe from the problems of bullying, clinical psychologist Dr Abdelhamid Afana, from the Psychiatry Department, urged parents to spend more time with children. They should give an ear to their school-going children and ask them open questions in order to know and address the worries they face in schools. Parents should be aware of the problems faced by their children. Teachers also need to be careful. Teaching is not only about lessons. It’s about holding proper communication with students and helping them solve certain problems. And all children are not the same as some of them need extra care. Teachers should find out the underlying problems if students are found to be showing the least interest in studying and other activities. Teachers should encourage students and help them get rid of the problems.
Meanwhile, doctors at HMC’s Hamad Trauma Centre also urged the students to take extra precautions while on the road. Increased volume of traffic and lack of awareness are posing a threat to pedestrian students as well as those travelling in vehicles.
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