- Psychologists and psychiatrists from the Ribera health group insist on the importance of routine, healthy eating, physical exercise, a good night's rest, helping them organize and accompanying them in good and bad times
- They remember that the first days of class symptoms such as anxiety, nerves, stomach pain and difficulty sleeping may appear, which should disappear after two weeks.
Mental Health Specialists Ribera healthcare group They recommend patience, listening and support from parents to their children at the start of the new school year, as well as recovering their routines as soon as possible. "Children and adolescents need a safe environment," says Pomba Liñares, a psychiatrist and pediatrician at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology Unit of the Ribera Povisa Hospital (Vigo).
"The most important thing is to stay calm, listen to him and be patient," says Dr. Liñares, who also recommends talking to the minor regularly, "paying attention and not being critical, because we may inadvertently increase the pressure that feel, trying to validate their emotions”. Dr. María Victoria Rodríguez Noguera, a psychiatrist from the Child and Youth Unit of the Vinalopó University Hospital. “Parents need to be calm and not anxious about their children starting school, despite seeing their children have a hard time going to class,” she says. The advice that this professional gives to parents is the importance of conveying to the minor that school or institute "is an enriching place, where they will learn and enjoy". Dr. Liñares adds the importance of "accompany him to face and try to solve problems as soon as possible and not leave them for later", in addition to praising and supporting his efforts. Nuria Lázaro, specialist nurse at the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit of theTorrejón University Hospital, "There is no parenting manual or instructions on how to calm each child and surely each parent has developed unique knowledge, to be able not to lose their temper and calm them down in situations of these characteristics, which are part of a normal life" .
Once the course has started and the schedules have been adjusted (many schools have a provisional schedule in September), the Ribera Povisa specialist recommends a healthy and balanced diet that includes five meals a day; maintain a good night's rest; do physical exercise on a regular basis; help the minor to organize tasks and activities well, “leaving time every day for pleasant activities”; and teach him strategies to help him deal with anxiety, how to organize his time, his materials and how to relax under stressful conditions.
For Dr. Rodríguez Noguera, the estimated normal time for adaptation "ranges between 1-3 weeks, but could be extended up to 2 months in cases where minors have a diagnosed emotional disorder." In addition, she points out that some of the symptoms that can alert parents that the adaptation is not being good can be sadness and crying in children and irritability, little communication and social isolation in adolescents.
Dr. Helena Diaz, head of the Mental Health Unit of the Torrejón University Hospital, points out how symptoms of poor adaptation to the school routine range "from a refusal to go to school, living as a threatening and unsafe environment, to discomfort body as mainly abdominal pain, sleep disturbances and separation anxiety. Dr. Liñares assures that in younger children we should be attentive "if difficulties persist in going to school and, especially, on Mondays after the weekend, or if we observe that they are excessively irritable, fearful, shy, if they are especially restless or very attached to the adult”. Instead, already in older children, she adds, "it should alert us if we see them more worried, stressed or frustrated, or if they are excessively reserved, distracted and have difficulty concentrating." Also if they are especially indecisive and avoidant or if they begin to manifest physical symptoms, such as abdominal discomfort and headaches. Finally, explains the specialist from Ribera Povisa, "in adolescence we must be vigilant if we observe them with excessive mood swings, with a lot of irritability, with a tendency to isolate themselves, not wanting to communicate with us or also if anxiety crises with palpitations appear. , tightness in the chest, shortness of breath and feeling dizzy”.
Jorge Pernia, a psychologist at the Mental Health Unit of the Torrejón University Hospital, also points out that "when the child or adolescent is not happy with the contact and relationship with their peers in the school environment, some depressive symptoms may arise, such as sadness, reluctance to go to school or bodily discomfort and the aforementioned symptoms and if they continue over time, it is a good time to contact a professional”. For Dr. Noguera, when a child or adolescent presents a level of anxiety that prevents them from going to class. And above all, if these episodes are repeated frequently, adds Dr. Liñares.
