Childline volunteer: ‘Many Cork schoolchildren are suffering serious mental health issues’

A CORK Childline volunteer has voiced deep concern after hearing from school kids experiencing mental health issues exacerbated by isolation during the summer months and the after-effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It comes as thousands of Cork primary and secondary students have returned for the academic year.

Childline volunteer Megan Sarl said that mental health issues facing some young people were aggravated by isolation during the summer holiday period. She added that many are still struggling to shift the residual trauma left by the Covid-19 pandemic.

She is urging teachers to be vigilant this year when it comes to spotting the signs of depression in children.

“There are children going through so much in their personal lives that their teachers aren’t even aware of,” she said. 

“Very often, returning to school can just be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

“Recently we are hearing from kids who have been dealing with self-harming for a long time.

“Some children are finding it so hard to get out of bed in the morning that even making it into the school building is an achievement in itself.”

One of the kids Megan spoke to was in severe distress: “You could feel the pain in her voice. That is something that has really stayed with me. A lot of calls are heartbreaking.

“She had been self-harming and suffering from eating disorders for a very long time. Over the summer her depression had prevented her from seeing any peers or friends.

“The isolation of this made the thought of returning to school and seeing people again even more frightening.”

In this case, Megan explained, the most significant anxiety was around being reunited with classmates.

“The education side of things didn’t bother her. What she was most afraid of was what people would say about her appearance.

“Hearing about the anxieties that had led to her self-harm was heartbreaking.

“Her family had given her all the support in the world but the depression had ingrained itself so deeply that made school almost impossible. Despite having treatment she still couldn’t see a way out.”

Eating disorders are among the predominant issues raised by callers: “The number of boys we are hearing from expressing concern about their appearance now is equal to the number of girls.

“There is such a drive for people to be healthy now but it doesn’t always take the most positive forms. Some of the children contacting us were not enjoying the summer but instead worrying about how they looked on the beach and convincing themselves that they don’t have the right shape to wear gym clothes.

“During this year’s heatwave children should have been excited about getting out and taking to the beach in the hot weather.

“However, many were just worried about how they looked.”

• Visit childline.ie for further information.