ABSTRACT
COVID-19 is a virus known to almost all in the world, and almost everyone is affected by COVID-19 in some way. It has affected physical health, psychological health, occupational life, family life, education system, etc. It substantially impacts mental health from all perspectives, direct or indirect. Children are one of the vulnerable populations, and they also faced several unexpected changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In India, the schools were closed in March 2020 without understanding the future consequences. Schools have launched online classes to retain admissions, increasing exposure to technology. That further leads to overscreen use, late-night sleep, social isolation, virtual abuse, bullying, etc.
Schools and colleges started functioning after more than 18 months, and we encountered several adolescent students with anxiety and depressive symptoms post-school re-admission. Almost two years ago, children were shut in the home with minimal social learning opportunities; they had minimal social interaction, no group exposure, no face-to-face teacher, and no public presentation. Therefore this chapter aims to understand the conditions of children after re-admission to schools. The chapter will discuss the issues through case studies of students approaching the Child Psychiatry Clinic, PGIMER Chandigarh.
