Kids Begin to Feel Stress of Economy

Children are now starting to feel the stress from the tough economy. From budget cuts at home and even at school, it's starting to scare many kids.

Many parents don't know about a resource readily available to them. Every school district has many School Psychologists available to help students.

For example, Harris County ISD has more than 30 psychologists and Fort Bend ISD has 25. That doesn't include dozens of other School Counselors, Nurses, and Teachers willing to help.

We spoke with Bob Conlon, who is the Director of Student Support Services for Fort Bend ISD. He says when students get help, it is kept very confidential.

A student is usually given a pass during school, and no one else knows they're leaving class to meet with a Counselor or Psychologist.

Conlon says it's important to look for warning signs of depression. He says you can look for changes in sleep patterns, eating habits, irritability, fears of things they weren't afraid of before, and more aggressiveness might be evident.

Fort Bend ISD also offers a 24-hour talk line with trained counselors. That number is 281-240-TALK (8255). Just talking about it makes a big difference.

Conlon says, "When students find a trusted adult and get counseling, many times they're reminded that things aren't as bad as they think they are."

He says, "Many families and students and families are incredibly resilient and most will come out of this economic distress okay."

He is also the chair of the Mental Health Subcommittee of the Texas State School Health Advisory Committee that offers input about school health issues. They've recently put together some online resources that provide parents with more specific help about economic stress.

You can visit these web sites:

• fortbendisd.com
• www.nasponline.org/educators/economic.aspx

For depression screening, a school program called SOS Depression and Suicide Prevention is a widely-used program in schools and has a reputation for being very effective.

For more information about that, you can visit: www.mentalhealthscreening.org .

FOX 26's Melissa Wilson covered a story about childhood depression and getting help at school. Click on the video tab to watch her story.