Increase in south-west children and adolescents seeking mental health services during coronavirus pandemic

As rolling coronavirus lockdowns continue to upheave children's routines and social circles, data from the Kids Helpline's most recent report shows a 200 per cent increase in counselling contacts from five-year-old children over the first six months of 2021.

About 1610 contacts to Kids Helpline were from young children aged five to nine years of age, up from 1588 in the first six months of 2020.

Services in the south-west have also noted a spike in child referrals and an increased demand for telehealth appointments.

Southwest Healthcare executive director of mental health services Richard Campion said the hospital's child and adolescent mental health service had received 895 referrals in 2020-21 in comparison to 793 in the pre-pandemic period of 2018-19.

"Demand for service has continued to present for a large variety of reasons," Mr Campion said.

"During the pandemic there has been a level of demand for support from CAMHS that has been precipitated by social isolation and a reduced access to other methods of face to face support during times of home schooling."

Warrnambool-based psychologist Marion Nelson - who works with a number of children - said although isolation was likely a factor in the increase, stress experienced by parents was more likely to trickle down to children, prompting referrals.

"The little ones are feeling it - of course if someone's got a preexisting anxiety and they're a child or adolescent, it's aggravated because their routine is gone and school is gone," she said.

"It's this weird sort of isolation, all the stuff kids used to do like go to swim class or ballet and the little things are disappearing and coming back again, so children are experiencing loss. Kids are generally pretty adaptable, but if the system around them collapses that makes it a little bit trickier for children.

"So there's that the factor of parental or system stress - if parents and care providers aren't being looked after, that's going to trickle down to the kids."

She said school programs like The Resilience Project were great in helping not only kids but parents build resilience and cope with the pandemic.

"These groups are doing amazing things in schools, helping children and parents to manage what they're feeling and adapt to it."

The Resilience Project co-founder Hugh van Cuylenburg said he'd seen an increase in the number of schools in Warrnambool signing up for the program since the beginning of the pandemic.

"We have seen increase in interest in Warrnambool," he said.

"It's been steadily over the last five years but especially now that there's a pandemic on".

Data collected from grade three to six students in Warrnambool by the project this year indicated that one in four students felt nervous, anxious or on edge, while one in two students felt like they couldn't talk about things if it upset them.

"About 24 per cent of primary school kids around Australia in grade three to grade six now have a mental health issue," he said.

"Everyone's part of a community and there's strength in that but there's a great vulnerability as well. If parents become more stressed or more worried that has an impact on the kids.

"I know my own kids don't understand what COVID-19 is or what lockdown means but they're definitely more anxious because they see their mum and dad being more stressed or more anxious."

Children or adolescents seeking mental health support can call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or Headspace Warrnambool on 1300 276 749.

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