Angry, lonely Australian kids lash out at families during lockdown

Cooped-up Aussie kids aren’t coping with lockdowns, leaving mental health medicos alarmed. Experts explain how parents can find ways to cope at home.

Exclusive: Angry and anxious children are attacking parents and siblings in lockdown as hospitals deal with more teenagers self-harming, top doctors have warned.

The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) has revealed a doubling in the number of teenagers contemplating suicide in Melbourne, where they have endured 208 days of stay-home orders and home schooling.

Cooped-up kids failing to cope with lockdown loneliness are showing up at hospital emergency departments in record numbers, with a 45 per cent increase in Victoria and 55 per cent increase in Sydney since the start of the pandemic.

MCRI mental health expert Professor Harriet Hiscock – who is director of the Health Services Research Unit at The Royal Children’s Hospital and a professorial fellow of paediatrics at the University of Melbourne – warned that repeated and lengthy lockdowns are damaging children’s mental health.

She said Victorian hospitals had recorded a 90 per cent increase in children with eating disorders, a 10 per cent increase in kids with anxiety and a 12.3 per cent rise in self-harm since 2019, before the pandemic began.

“It’s things like pulling out hair, scratching and kids who start cutting themselves,’’ she said.

“We are seeing more kids getting angry, irritable, melting down and they can be lashing out at their families.

Professor Harriet Hiscock, researcher and paediatrician from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. Picture: Supplied.

“Teenagers who are feeling frustrated, anxious or out of control, there are some who are becoming physically violent towards their siblings or parents.

“Some kids will withdraw, others will have a fight-flight response.’’

A recent MCRI study found that one in five Victorian children thought about suicide during the first COVID-19 lockdowns last year – double the pre-pandemic rate of one in 10.

Professor Raghu Lingam of the University of NSW, who is a consultant paediatrician at the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network, revealed that children’s emergency department visits for mental health problems had soared as much as 55 per cent between June 2020 and February 2021, compared to the same time the previous year.

“This is a very big deal,’’ he said.

“We are seeing an exacerbation of the tsunami of mental health issues we were already having in the community.

“There is a lot of self-harm, behavioural difficulties, eating disorders, and anxiety and depression.’’

Lockdowns are making teen anxiety worse.

Professor Lingam said ER visits surged once the lockdown was lifted last year.

“It happens after lockdown. For mental health admissions and ED attendances during the 2020 lockdown, cases were high.

“But it went even higher than predicted – up to 55 per cent – after lockdown, compared to the previous year.’’

Professor Lingam is still collating data for ER visits during the current long lockdown in Sydney.

But Professor Hiscock said children in Victoria were faring worse this year.

“Children have gone from feeling lonely and anxious and irritable last year, to it really intensifying this year,’’ she said.

“We are seeing a higher level of anxiety and increases in eating disorders and self-harm.

“A psychiatrist is almost impossible to get into – in the private system a lot of psychiatrists have closed their books, and in the public system a child has to be very unwell to be seen.’’

Professor Hisock said children in lockdown feel “lonely and disconnected’’.

“They just want to get back their life and mates and school and sport and drama,’’ she said.

“They miss structure – kids don’t know if it’s Thursday or Friday or a weekend, it’s all blurred – and everyone is exhausted.

“The best thing for kids is to get back to school.’’

Talk to children about their worries.

As parents struggle to support children through pandemic lockdowns, counsellors have offered some coping strategies.

Kids Helpline counsellor Amanda Grehan urged parents to look after themselves.

“Be aware of your own feelings, as children can pick up on these,’’ she said.

“Make sure you are looking after your own wellbeing as a parent.

“Switch off and take time out together – constant news about Covid-19 can be overwhelming, so it’s important to take a break and spend time together as a family.’’

Ms Grehan advised parents to “be curious and ask about their thoughts and feelings’’.

“Invite questions and answer as simply and honestly as possible,’’ she said.

“Problem-solve together – your soccer game was cancelled due to lockdown, why don’t we have a fun family match in the backyard?’’

Heath insurance giant Bupa has donated $100,000 to Kids Helpline, which is dealing with an 80 per cent increase in contacts from primary school aged children this year.

Need help? Lifeline 13 11 14

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800