How to help children affected by pandemic depression
The COVID-19 pandemic and the shutdown have taken a mental health toll on teens and young adults; here s what some experts say can help. Author: Christelle Koumoué (KGW) Updated: 11:50 AM PST March 8, 2021
PORTLAND, Ore. Before the pandemic, 13-year-old Melanie Gabriel wasn’t the biggest fan of school. She thought it was boring. Her opinion has definitely changed since the pandemic closed schools last March. The shutdown went from like two weeks to a month to several months, and the longer it went the worst it got, Melanie said.
The lack of social interaction took a toll on her mental health. It got so bad, at one point Melanie wanted to hurt herself. Her mom Megan caught on and was able to get her help.
Albertina Kerr building 150 units of affordable housing
Gresham campus will have 150 units for low-income caregivers and people with disabilities Nobody who is willing to do this kind of Mother Teresa-type work should have to live in a car or a tent or anyplace like that, Jeff Carr, chief executive officer of the nonprofit Albertina Kerr Centers said Wednesday in a virtual groundbreaking for 150 low-income housing units.
Carr was stricken by the fact that some of the low-paid workers at Kerr and other organizations who do the difficult work of caring for folks with disabilities were struggling to keep a roof over their heads. Some were even homeless. Their stories inspired Carr to build 150 units of affordable housing on Kerr s Gresham campus. Kerr serves people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities both as outpatients and residents in Kerr housing.
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Sudden changes in mood, positive or negative
Changes in eating habits, sleeping habits
Not finding joy in activities that previously were joyful
New signs of startling easily
Constant worrying about parents health and welfare
Sudden sneaking out at night, engaging in risky behaviors, slipping grades
Carr said it s important for parents to regularly check in with their children to see how they re feeling. He knows firsthand how tough that can be sometimes.
Credit: Albertina-Kerr
Suggestions for parents
Carr recognized that checking in with your child can be a difficult task. As a parent of two college-aged kids, that s hard, he said. I don t think we get trained well in how to talk to kids, but I think it s the most important thing to do is check in with kids.