The struggles of lockdown for everyone feel very real this week, and the impact will only now start to be seen. The effects will be felt, I am sure, for many years to come.
With the recent return to schools, many young people are excited to see friends for the first time in so long. But there are likely to be equal numbers dreading the return. For lots of young people, lockdown has been difficult in many ways, whether it be isolation, mental health, domestic abuse, financial worries, increased substance misuse or home schooling to name just a few.
In my experience as a substance misuse practitioner some young people experience coexisting mental health and substance misuse issues.
Weaver et al 2003*, state that an estimated 44% of community mental health patients have reported problem drug use or harmful alcohol use in the previous year they also go on to suggest from their research that up to 75% of people in drug services and 86% of alcohol service users experienced mental health problems.
When these mental health problems are unidentified or not treated, young people sometimes self medicate with substances which in turn have a further negative impact on their mental health. This then requires drugs and alcohol treatment services to work alongside mental health services to best support a young person.
But for many the lockdown may have been a relief, a time to be with family, a time to be away from all of the hustle and bustle, a time to be away from school!
School can be so hard for many young people, particularly those who are neurodiverse, such as being on the Autistic Spectrum, or having ADHD, Dyslexia, Tourettes Syndrome or any sensory processing difficulties, or for those who suffer with mental health problems such as depression and social anxiety. Some young people are also affected by other people's substance misuse or are Young Carers who may worry about leaving parents at home alone when they return to school.
During lockdown some of these young people were able to stay within their safe boundaries of home and did not necessarily have the pressures of life on them on a daily basis and they could sleep in the day if they couldn’t sleep at night. For these young people the return to school after lockdown will be really difficult and the impact of this needs to be recognised to be able to offer the support to these young people who are struggling.
“Children with special educational needs are 7 times as likely to become permanently excluded” (Do it solutions, Prof Amanda Lurby)
My own young child found some relief during the lockdown and felt so safe that he has struggled with the return to school. I have often had it described to me as the ‘coke can’ effect. Every child is different and so will be their challenges, but here is an example of what the school day might look like for a young person who is finding the return to school overwhelming:
Didn’t sleep all night (shake the coke can).
Had to get dressed in clothes that feel uncomfortable to them (shake the coke can).
Get knocked in the hallway (shake the coke can).
Realise they forgot their homework (shake the coke can).
At lunch it’s really loud in the lunch hall and they didn’t get time to finish their lunch (shake the coke can).
Struggled with the work that was set and didn’t understand what they needed to do(shake the coke can).
Someone raised their voice (shake the coke can).
They had a different teacher who didn’t understand their individual needs (shake the coke can).
There is only so much that many children can take throughout the day, so eventually this coke can will open and explode everywhere. This may happen during school meaning they get into further trouble, or they may be able to hold it together until they leave school, meaning their struggles go further under the radar. Either way the right support is often not given.
The sooner that any challenges to the return to school are identified the quicker support can be gained.
If you, or you know someone, who is struggling with the return to school for whatever reason, please seek support. You may be able to get support from parents/carers. Alternatively, schools will have a plan in place for those who are struggling with the return from lockdown and will also be able to access other specialist agencies who will be able to help with whatever your individual challenges are.