After one month of school opening, the child psychiatry department is fully booked

As schools across China reopened after a month of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the child psychiatry department has been overwhelmed with demand. Parents are struggling to cope with their children's mental health issues, with many children displaying signs of anxiety and depression.

The situation is becoming increasingly common, according to a growing number of posts on Chinese social media platform Weibo. Many parents are expressing concern about the reasons behind this crisis: academic pressure, lack of outdoor activities due to excessive academic burden, insufficient parental care, and the spiraling down of education at primary school level.

"Children nowadays always have psychological and emotional issues," said a parent on Weibo. "The situation is becoming more and more common, and I think it's related to several reasons: firstly, academic burden is too heavy; secondly, the decrease in outdoor activities due to excessive academic burden; thirdly, less interpersonal communication and too much interaction with machines; fourthly, effective parental care is insufficient."

The parents expressing their concerns on Weibo are not alone in their worries. According to recent statistics, over 95 million people in China have been diagnosed with depression, with three out of every ten children under the age of eighteen affected. High expectations from parents often lead to anxiety and depression in children, as they focus solely on academic performance without pursuing their spiritual growth.

"Alas..I can only say that kids are really struggling these days," said another parent on Weibo. "Schools are too strict now, as if the children were in prison."

The excessive pressure on children to maintain a certain personality and the lack of freedom to play during breaks have also been cited as contributing factors to mental health issues among children. One parent shared that their child has been squeezed with limited growth space over the past two years, resulting in anxiety cases.

"First give children freedom to play and goof around during breaks," suggested a concerned parent on Weibo. "Their personalities should be diverse: some are active while others are quiet. Asking all of them to maintain the same personality is ridiculous; this leads to anxiety cases."

Moreover, there have been several incidents reported by parents on Weibo where teachers have shown inappropriate behavior towards students, causing further distress and anxiety. One parent shared that their son told them about a teacher who pinched the eyelid of a female student and pulled her towards the stage, leaving a red mark on her eyelid.

However, not all parents are supportive of seeking psychiatric help for their children. Some believe it is an indicator of poor parenting, and that those in need of such services only have love and money to bully their children further.

"The parents who need to go to the psychiatry are those who have no love and no money but only can bully their children downward," said another parent on Weibo.

As schools continue to reopen, it is evident that addressing this mental health crisis in children will require a comprehensive approach that includes reducing academic pressure, promoting outdoor activities and social interaction, providing effective parental care, and addressing the issues within education itself. The time has come for parents, educators, and society as a whole to recognize that while academic achievement is important, it cannot come at the expense of children's mental health and well-being.