Kids on brink of violent meltdowns during lockdown

Children stuck in Victoria’s long lockdowns are lashing out more and getting into fights with their family members, worrying new research reveals.

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

Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (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 – told the Sunday Herald Sun that repeated and lengthy lockdowns are damaging the mental health of children in Victoria.

“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.

“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.’’

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.

Sarah and Potu Leavasa, from Cranbourne East, said the latest lockdown was “tough” for their children’s mental health. Picture: Tony Gough

The MCRI figures also 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.

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 Hiscock said children in Victoria were faring worse this year.

The number of Melbourne teenagers contemplating suicide has surged, new figures show.

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

Professor Hiscock 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.’’

Children stuck in long lockdowns have been left feeling lonely and disconnected, Professor Harriet Hiscock says.

One of Australia’s leading child psychologists told the Sunday Herald Sun he has never been more worried about the mental health of young people.

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg has joined a growing chorus of doctors and mental health professionals in calling for the state government to begin addressing the toll that repeated lockdowns have had on Victorian children.

As part of a new campaign, which has the backing of more than 75 doctors, Dr Carr-Gregg has demanded that schools and playgrounds are reopened as a matter of urgency, fearing Victoria’s already broken mental health system won’t be able to cope with demand in the coming years.

“We will not be able to vaccinate the mental health effects of these lockdowns away,” he said.

“Kids make up 20 per cent of Victoria’s population, but they’re 100 per cent of our future, and the longer this continues, the longer the effects will go on. This poses a substantial threat to the ongoing wellbeing of our young people.”

There are calls to address the toll that repeated lockdowns have had on Victorian children.

Dr Carr-Gregg, who is one of Australia’s highest profile psychologists, said kids needed four key things – to be at school, to socialise with friends, to spend time away from parents and to take healthy risks – in order to successfully develop.

“The current restrictions stop them dead in their tracks,” he said.

Dr Carr-Gregg said it was now time that a mental health expert was present in any future restrictions discussion between chief health officer Professor Brett Sutton and government.

“I am just absolutely at a loss that we’re not hearing from some of our mental health professionals,” he said.

A new campaign is calling for schools and playgrounds to reopen as a matter of urgency.

Business and family groups have urged the state government to show Victorians a path out of lockdowns.

Paul Guerra, Chief Executive Officer at the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “Businesses across the state are in crisis.

“The Doherty Institute modelling shows a clear path forward. We need a clear commitment from the State that they will follow that road map. Business need hope that these lockdowns will end and we can enjoy a bloody great summer.”

Georgie Dent, executive director of advocacy group The Parenthood, said the lockdowns were “extremely challenging” for children due to the lack of routine and structure.

“Kids pick up on a lot of stress and parents are stressed physically and emotionally, you can’t discount the cumulative toll of that,” she said.

Tim Piper, Victorian director of The Australia Industry Group, said devastation was particularly acute in the small business world.

“They are really struggling … irrespective of which area you are looking at, people are still struggling. It’s excruciating.”

Originally published as Kids on brink of violent meltdowns during lockdown