PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Hurricanes Helene and Milton have left an everlasting impact on Tampa Bay—people’s homes, businesses and our beaches.
The storms have also greatly affected mental health, including for kids.
“Many of our children have been through significant transitions and disruptions during these two hurricanes back to back,” said Dr. Jennifer Katzenstein, Co-Director of The Center for Behavioral Health at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.
She believes because there have been disruptions with school, and many kids have potentially been displaced from their homes, that it’s very likely they could be dealing with heightened anxiety right now.
“There has been a significant disruption to routines for our families and for our kids,” said Katzenstein.
For younger kids, that anxiety could look like changes in appetite, changes in toileting, and separation anxiety.
“Or more anxiety or stress when the wind blows, or there's rain, or they’re starting to see us looking at the weather to see what might be happening with storms moving forward,” said Katzenstein.
For teens, they could experience more irritability, changes in sleep, and becoming more withdrawn.
“That reluctance to engage in their previously enjoyed activities. Maybe they’re spending more time in their room or more time on their phone,” said Katzenstein.
She encourages parents to check in with their kids every day for the next few weeks.
“Even if it’s just five or 10 minutes that they can spend alone just checking in without your phones, no devices, no distractions, to sit quietly. You don’t have to ask 100 questions, just sitting there being available,” said Katzenstein.
Having that time with kids allows parents to see more clearly if there are changes in their behavior.
“A quick check-in, 'How are you doing?' is great, but asking that question again, because we as adults and our kids sometimes respond with 'I’m fine,' and we need to ask again so we can drill down a little bit more,” said Katzenstein.
These check-ins are especially important because, sadly, following natural disasters, doctors tend to see an increase in suicide attempts and suicide completions.
"So an incredibly important time to be monitoring for thoughts of suicide. If your child does bring forward a concern that they’re thinking about hurting themselves, I suggest parents take that seriously and listen. A great response for a parent is always to say, 'Tell me more about that,' or, 'Tell me why you feel that way.' So if those concerns do arise, going to your local emergency room, calling the Suicide Prevention Lifeline 988, or texting the Crisis Text Line at 741741 are incredible resources,” said Katzenstein.
