“Futures Talk” Vol.1: COVID-19 and Children's Mental Health

“Futures Talk” Vol.1: COVID-19 and Children's Mental Health

FutureTales Lab held “Futures Talk: The Future of Thai Children and Youth after the Pandemic”, a 1st online conference. Dr. Varoth Chotpitayasunondh, spokesperson for the Department of Mental Health, Ministry of Public Health, spoke on…

FutureTales Lab held “Futures Talk: The Future of Thai Children and Youth after the Pandemic”, a 1st online conference. Dr. Varoth Chotpitayasunondh, spokesperson for the Department of Mental Health, Ministry of Public Health, spoke on…

How COVID-19 will affect the mental health of children and youths now and in the future

• COVID-19 causes 3 main losses:
1. Loss of life
2. Loss of lifestyle 
3. Loss of time and opportunity

• COVID-19 affects the mental health of children and youths:
• Negative feelings – the root of mental problems
• Sedentary time – when children do nothing for too long 
• Mind and behavior – lack of activity, easily causing worry and depression
• Less learning – Lost educational opportunities impact the wider economic in 2 ways
• Children who study less will earn less than children who complete their studies
• National economies will be damaged by poor workers

How to protect the future of children and youths

• Attitude is important – we will never have good things if we don’t believe there are good things
• Happiness is a choice. Close your eyes and imagine a place you would like to visit.
     Doing that can help reduce stress and make you feel better.
• 3 ways parents can support their children at different ages
• Spend time with children – Don’t waste your time on pointless activities. Spend more time together.
• Explain COVID-19 appropriately for their age – Tell young children in a way that they understand,
     such as that we wear surgical mask to protect us from COVID bad guy.
• Provide a role model – This is actually a golden opportunity to spend time with your kids that other
     generations would have loved but never had.

Stress is like water in bottle that needs to be released.

Watch the full interview here >>> CLICK