Takeaway
Many patients experience distress because of their role as parents and caregivers. It is a pediatrics “best practice” to screen parents and offer resources for mental health support.
Lifelong Learning in Clinical Excellence | October 1, 2024 | 2 min read
By Mackenzie Sommerhalder, PhD, Johns Hopkins Medicine
A mother was in my office crying, expressing how overwhelmed she was caring for her two children with significant mental health needs. She shared that sometimes she wished she didn’t have to wake up and deal with living a life of daily crisis; however, she was adamant that she didn’t wish to be dead for fear that her family wouldn’t survive without her. This encounter has stuck with me. No parent should have to feel this way.
The U.S. Surgeon General’s identification of parental stress as an urgent public health issue comes on the heels of the national emergency in child and adolescent mental health issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Children’s Hospital Association. Almost half of parents reported feeling overwhelmed by stress in a recent national survey. The parental mental health crisis and the child and adolescent mental health crisis are inextricably linked given that research has demonstrated multiple times the strong relationship between parental mental health and well-being and that of their children. In my practice I often say to parents “Put your own oxygen mask on first.”
Here are potentially helpful strategies for not only parents and their children, but also people of any age. The goal is that through small steps, parents can make themselves a priority. When parents prioritize their own health and well-being, they are also prioritizing their children’s health and well-being.
1. Conduct routine mental health screenings of parents during primary care visits, well-child visits, and during key school-based transitions (such as the beginning, middle, and end of the school year).
2. Increase access to mental healthcare for parents, both individual and group-based support.
3. Encourage and support the learning and practicing of mindfulness. Parents can do this with their children or on their own.
4. Remind patients that social media can create unrealistic or unattainable goals for what life should look like, including for parents.
5. Encourage parents to prioritize daily tasks. Be very specific on what tasks have to be done that day, versus ones that can wait. Encourage them to ask for, or hire if financially possible, help—this could include help with grocery shopping, meals, and cleaning. Additionally, Set time limits for tasks. For example, only clean for one hour instead of focusing on getting specific areas clean or tasks that could take two hours.
6. Remind parents to prioritize sleep, exercise, and nutrition.
7. Bolster opportunities for communities to help adults, including parents, to find their “village” and to address isolation and loneliness.
It’s important to note that these recommendations aren’t equally accessible to all given barriers such as finances and access to care. As such, clinicians should also strive to get involved in public policy to advocate for policy change around issues such as increasing access and resources (e.g., childcare assistance, paid family and medical leave, healthcare) and improving neighborhood/community safety.
This piece expresses the views solely of the author. It does not necessarily represent the views of any organization, including Johns Hopkins Medicine.