BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — We've heard a lot about kids and mental health, but now the U.S. Surgeon General is highlighting what it calls an urgent need to support parents and their mental health.
The Surgeon General issued an advisory saying over the last decade, parents have been more likely to report experiencing high levels of stress.
The report also said our stress as parents can directly affect our children.
Below you'll hear some of the voices of those who are dedicated to erasing the stigma surrounding mental health.
Tara Burgess, the Executive Director at EPIC, Every Parent Influences Children, Kimberly Kadziolka, the Executive Director at Parent Western New York and I hope that parents understand that they're not alone in this struggle. My name's Melinda DuBois. I'm the Executive Director of Mental Health Advocates of Western New York ." These are just a few of the faces dedicated to erasing the stigma surrounding mental health.
"We're seeing these higher rates of depression and anxiety. Those numbers have almost doubled in our community," said Melinda DuBois, the Executive Director of Mental Health Advocates of Western New York.
DuBois reacted to reading the Surgeon General's advisory saying: "I thought how important it was to focus on parents because we spend a lot of time lately talking about youth and the teen mental health crisis in our community and we don't focus as much on parents."
She wants parents to know there are numerous resources available.
"I just think about this mom that I was talking to last week who was struggling with her child's mental health. When you have a child that's really struggling it's so painful," said DuBois.
The Surgeon General said parents are also reporting increased stress related to financial concerns and time demands.
"On top of you know just raising their children, paying for groceries, bullying but now add in the internet," said Kimberly Kadziolka, Executive Director at Parent Western New York.
Safety in schools is another stressor.
"You send your child to school and think they're going to come home but too often that's not happening around the United States. We know that there are so many stressors that have been added to parents in recent years. Throw in the pandemic and you kind of have this perfect storm of stress," said Kadziolka.
Tara Burgess, the Executive Director at EPIC, Every Parent Influences Children, had the following advice for parents.
"Give yourself some space and grace because you're probably doing a much better job than you think," said Burgess. "It's OK to take a step back and say ok this is out of control in this moment and I need a few seconds to recoup and regroup. It's OK to take care of yourself. It's so important. It's the mask on the airplane. You have to take care of yourself, if you're not giving yourself self-care, you're never going to be good for your kids."
If you are a parent or caregiver and need support you can find resources at the links below:
