MENTAL HEALTH IN A TIME OF COVID
DON’T FORGET TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF TOO. I often tell the parents of my patients, Your health is their health. Children matter. Parents matter too.
Taking care of a child takes a village. And while we as Pediatricians often focus on the child, we also focus on the well-being of the parents, the community, and the environment the child lives in. After all, health is multi-factorial. And one of the factors that’s SO important to a child’s well-being is his or her mental health AND his or her parents’ mental health.
SO WHY TALK ABOUT THIS NOW?
Well, things got better and then got worse. It’s been about 6 months since the initial impact of COVID, and it seems like we’re back to square one. Rising cases, increased deaths, increased hospitalizations, and stricter lockdowns? I know, it sucks. We are on week #2 with beach and park closures. And as of this week, stricter guidelines are being enforced on O’ahu. The things that brought us joy like going to the beach, hiking, playing at the park, getting to see friends and family are once again difficult to obtain. The impact on everyone’s psychosocial well-being is HUGE. |