March 26, 2022
Issue #3
A Student Publication of the Belmont Hill School
Mental Health During the Pandemic By Ezra Lee ’25 In the spring of 2020, we became excited as we heard the opportunity to have an even longer break awaiting us, not knowing what was yet to come. Quickly, our smiles turned to frowns as we learned what was awaiting us, and before our eyes, the rest of our spring drifted away.
Flew in the first Covid summer, the fear, worry, and hopelessness that so many parents felt; the boredom, loneliness, and anger that so many children felt. It was a summer of risks and daydreams, and for many, the first summer where kids were looking forward to going back to school. The return to school appeared in many different fashions for all, but the light at the end of the tunnel was still far away. We returned semi-remote, excited to see all of our friends, and for brief moments, Covid seemed to go away. Things almost started to return to normal, and the school year, while the days were long and painful for many, seemed to fly by. By May, people were getting excited about the chance of a normal summer, but soon, their dreams were dashed. Our summer was almost a repeat of the previous one, but everyone was just a little more fed up and more willing to take risks this time. We came back this year, and the highs and lows have been highlighted through Covid tests and masks, joking that one day this will be something to look back on and laugh about, ignoring the problem at hand, mental health.
Worldwide, at least 13% of people between the ages of 10 and 19 live with a diagnosed mental health disorder, according to the State of the World’s Children report, published less than a year ago by the United Nations children’s charity UNICEF. It reveals that adolescent mental health is highly complex, understudied — and underfunded. Sadly, psychological distress among young people seems to be rising. One study found that rates of depression among a nationally representative sample of US adolescents (aged 12 to 17) increased from 8.5% of young adults to 13.2% between 2005 and 2017. There’s also initial evidence that the coronavirus pandemic exacerbates this trend in some countries. For example, in a nationwide study from Iceland, adolescents (aged 13–18) reported significantly more symptoms of mental ill-health during the pandemic than before it. Although most mental-health disorders arise during adolescence, UNICEF says that only onethird of investment in mental health research is targeted towards young people. Moreover, the research itself suffers from fragmentation — scientists involved tend to work inside some key disciplines, such as psychiatry, pediatrics, psychology,
and epidemiology, and the links between research and health-care services are often poor. This means that effective forms of prevention and treatment are limited, and there is a lack of solid understanding of what works, in which context, and why. The results of the mental health survey sent around school fall perfectly in line with what was previously stated. The middle school reported only 32% of students saying the pandemic has negatively impacted their mental health.
For high schoolers, over 64% of students reported Covid-19 negatively impacting their mental health.
For teachers, 75% agreed that the pandemic was not good for their mental health.
This goes to show that the issue of mental health only worsens as we grow older. This is not an unfortunate unchangeable problem however. Belmont Hill, during our three-day weekend in February, had an entire day devoted to teaching teachers how to help students with stress and anxiety on campus, but is it enough? At times it seems like nothing will ever be enough, and an all-boys school doesn’t necessarily make it easier to talk about one’s feelings with their peers; but allowing oneself to become vulnerable is, in fact, one of the best solutions. Middle schoolers who elaborated on the question wrote about how it was a nice break to the business of everyday life but also how it became harder to get outside, and how both their physical health and mental health paid the price. When asked about their most difficult experiences, many wrote about the difficulty of limited social interaction and the amount of time in front of the screen. “My mom locked my family down during most of 2020 because we were responsible for helping and taking care of my grandmother. My siblings each had a significant other that was allowed into our bubble, but I did not. That time period got extremely lonely and I felt helpless for a lot of it. I could text people all I want but it’s hard not being able to hang out in person.” Another high schooler reflected on his overall experience throughout the pandemic noting, “I think adults focus on the physical health of students or adults regarding the pandemic and not the
mental health aspect. If there is another quarantine, or a season canceled, a certain activity canceled, etc. I know that the pandemic is extremely dangerous to a small number of people, but you can’t shut down kids’ lives to protect that small group honestly. As high schoolers we only have 4 years of this experience, and then it’s done forever. In college you only have 4 years of that experience and then it’s done forever. People have to take that into account.” Teachers, who haven’t gotten enough credit for all they have done throughout the pandemic, did not have it easy, having to take care of life at home (many with kids), their students, and foremost, themselves. “Like so many others, I felt isolated, worried, certain, at times hopeless. My job as a teacher got both harder and less rewarding. I felt terrible for my students and my own children and all they were missing out on. I felt terrible for others around the world who faced sickness, death, poverty, and more because of covid.” or “It’s been a stressful time to be an educator. Still, at the same time, it’s forced me to bring more technology into my teaching practice and to be appreciative for what I have. COVID is certainly draining, but I feel grateful to not have had it nearly as bad as many, many others.” and “I am in a happy home with a nice family and all of us have bonded and enjoyed our time together. I have also been reminded how lucky I am over this time. I have a job I love and that I have been able to do with some adjustment.”
The fantastic thing about all of these comments is that even though the pandemic has been challenging for them and everyone around them, they still reflect on how so many people worldwide have it so much worse than ourselves. When asked if there was anything else they would like to add, many teachers expressed their gratitude towards Belmont Hill for making this as easy as they possibly could. Still, others expressed concern about our opening up model back in February and specifically when we went back to the dining hall as a school, saying, “I am very nervous to be in the dining hall with the students next week as we will be unmasked. The numbers might be better yet there was never a poll with faculty to see how we might feel about the idea of this concept for lunches.” Another teacher reflected upon our past teaching model and noted that the pandemic might change the way we look at our academic structure and priorities, writing, “My sense at this moment is that we are in for a long term recovery. Perhaps recovery is the wrong word as I sense the last 1.5 years has created a sense of doubt as to whether the past academic structure and priorities at BHS is a lasting model.” This pandemic has brought so much change and has come with countless hours of thought regarding our way of life before the pandemic. Once this pandemic is finally over, there will be a lot of reflection on how we want to return to normal and what normal will even mean.