'We are living among a mental health epidemic,' says local children's book author

Kristin Greco, clinical director and founder of Newmarket Psychotherapy Team, has written a book for children to help them deal with difficult emotions they may not know how to express.

Smart in My Heart, is about a little, orange-haired girl who feels overwhelmed and confused in her chaotic world, but with the help of an animal friend she learns to help herself when the adults in her life are too busy or feel too far away to talk with her.

The book's rhyming verse and colourful illustrations are intended to appeal to children ages seven and younger and includes educational questions for educators and therapists.   

It contains self-soothing strategies and teaches kids to access their inner strength.

Greco said she has always been a writer — she has written several short stories as well and manages the blog on the psychotherapy team website — but she never thought she would write a children's book.

Initially, she sat down to write a rhyme that had popped into head while watching her kids play. When she finished, she said to herself: "Did I just write a children's book? I think I might have."

Though not necessarily about the pandemic, the book was born of her concern for the mental health issues that children, including her own, have endured throughout the pandemic.

"The reason why I thought this was so important is because we are living among a mental health epidemic right now with children specifically who have been impacted. My main concern are children who don't have the adults in their homes that for whatever reason can provide them with the support or resources that meet their emotional needs."

Balancing work and months of online schooling with their kids has led many adults to suffer from their own mental health frustrations that can sometimes result in the unintentional neglect of their children, said Greco.

Children forced to stay home from school for extended periods of time are prevented from socializing, but for kids whose homes aren't safe spaces, it has also prevented them from accessing a trusted adult.

As a result of the disruptions and changes in their lives, there's an increase in eating disorders, depression and other mental health issues among children and youth, she said.

The prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms during COVID-19 have doubled in children and adolescents as compared to pre-pandemic estimates, according to a University of Calgary study.

The damaging mental health effects of the pandemic on kids will not ease as restrictions do or after kids resume in-class learning.

An ongoing study led by The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) reported 67 to 70 per cent of children and youth of varying ages “experienced deterioration in at least one mental health domain” during the pandemic with the percentage among those with pre-existing psychiatric diagnoses.

Mental health did not improve as the school year resumed

Greco said one of her biggest concerns is the use of the term "children are resilient" and the belief that children can and will automatically bounce back from the trauma of the pandemic.

"I don't feel that children are resilient unless they have the resources to meet their emotional needs."

Outcomes stemming from the pandemic include kids not being able to identify facial expressions — from seeing masked faces for so long, said Greco, to "stunted" emotional and social developments.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will be long-lasting, said Greco, with repercussions revealing themselves years after a return to normalcy.

"It's not, maybe for a lot of people, so clear right now but it will be. . . in a few years, once the physical risks have dissipated parents will say 'I don't know why my child isn't sleeping, why they're having difficulty making friends,' and it will all be because of what they went through. So really this is cumulative. "

Greco said her goal in writing the book was to draw attention to mental health issues and she hopes it will be read in classrooms so all kids will have access to it.

"I want to see the book in the hands of educators and therapists so children who are feeling lonely or emotionally unwell will benefit from the text, the pictures,"

The book will be available both online and in stores in May. Contact Greco to receive updates on the book's launch.