GUWAHATI, May 17 - Amidst this medical emergency and lockdown, maintaining good mental health has become a great challenge for everyone. The situation has turned more critical for children as psychiatrists are apprehending a rise in cases of post-traumatic stress disorder among many children in the coming days.
�Amid the lockdown, I have been attending to a number of children. For most of them, being confined inside their homes for a long period has become a critical issue. At the same time, the COVID-19 induced anxiety and stress result in nightmares in most cases. Moreover, during lockdown hours, internet addiction among the children is also growing rapidly,� city-based psychiatrist Dr Sangeeta Datta said.
It is noteworthy that during the lockdown hours, use of the internet among children has increased exponentially, as many educational institutions have started online classes to keep the academic activities on.
As many children are spending their lockdown days using smartphones, they can develop internet addiction that is not at all healthy, Dr Datta opined.
She further informed that in case of adolescents, too, it is challenging to cope with the prevailing situation.
�The current scenario has put parents in a very tricky situation. The parents should motivate their children to understand the actual spirit of life,� she stated.
According to Dr Datta, a child, in general, doesn�t have the maturity level to understand a medical emergency situation like the present one. The lockdown-induced mental stress will cause anxiety and the young generation may suffer from sleeplessness, nightmare, lack of patience, etc., she added.
In the case of adolescents, it may also increase the suicidal tendency as most of them are not in a position to accept the change.
Commenting on the online classes and examination, she opined that such initiatives are necessary for such a challenging time to channelise the potential of youths to keep them away from online games, sex, etc.
But, she emphasised that the continuation of online classes will not be necessary as soon as the situation returns to normal.
