Many children are enjoying their summer break. Others may not be having fun in the summertime.
Boredom is a real thing, and it can lead to mental health problems for children or make their well-being worse during the summer months — especially for children who experience anxiety or ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).
Rachel Immen is a psychiatrist with Carle Behavioral Health in Bloomington. In this edition of Sound Health, Immen explains why a less stressful time of year can present its own challenges for kids when they are out of school.
“It’s a big shift in their day-to-day schedule, and while that might bring less stress, it also brings less supervision and less opportunity for activity for some, and that combination can be tricky for some,” Immen said.
Immen said child psychiatric care is often in greater demand during the summer, typically because children have fewer adult supervisors present such as teachers and school counselors. Immen said many children struggle with a lack of supervision when they aren't in school.
“Maybe it’s an impact of the fast-paced interaction with social media and peers, but boredom feels very uncomfortable and they’ll often find a way out of boredom, even if they are unconsciously stirring up trouble to do so,” said Immen, adding children who have experienced trauma are more likely to have emotional health concerns and will need more adult support.
Immen said it’s OK to let children come up with their own ways to address boredom, as long as they are supervised. “Unstructured time can be a great thing,” she said, recommending parents have some age-appropriate activities at the ready to keep kids engaged when they complain they have nothing to do.
For many children, she said, medication can be effective in children who are struggling with mood or focus, but she said many parents and children will resist the idea at first. She said it may be unsettling at first for parents who see noticeable changes in their child's behavior as many parents and children resist trying medication.
“Especially, youth are changing and the brain continues to change up until age 25, so you can have a fluid sense of yourself and collect information and then decide what parts are important to your identity,” Immen said.
Immen said medication is one of three pillars to a typical response to a child struggling with mental health, along with family support and therapy when appropriate.
