This article by Eliza Kruczynski appeared on WSFB on October 27, 2023.
As we continue to follow the important news out of Lewiston, Maine, we have to remember how stories like these can impact you at home.
There has been very heavy news recently, from the wars overseas to the mass shooting in Maine on Wednesday. Consuming all that information can put a toll on your mental health.
“The incidents that are happening, they scare us to be honest as parents and as an individual,” said Amit Kumar, of Hartford. “There is a fear in mind whenever we go out to a mass gathering.”
“Hearing a lot from adults and a lot from parents who have an immense amount of fear and really feel on a visceral level what it must be like for those families who have experienced those tragedies,” said Laine Taylor, Medical Director and Child Psychiatrist at The Village of Families & Children.
Taylor said kids are coming in for help with panic, anxiety and trauma support.
Parents, how do you protect your children from the disturbing images and overload of information?
“Find out what your kid is hearing about online, what is it that they understand about what’s going on and just open the conversation, and then give space for their feelings,” said Taylor.
Parents said they need to stay informed with the current events, but to an extent.
“We do watch the television, that gives us a brighter picture of what’s happening, we cannot neglect that,” Kumar said.
This doesn’t only affect children.
“Before you have those conversations for you to be in a good place about it as much as you can be, not be in a state of fear and anxiety because that’s not going to facilitate conversation,” said Taylor.
If you or anyone you know just need someone to talk to, call or text 988. For information on urgent crisis centers, CLICK HERE.