Table 2.
Mental health care of children and adolescents by various support systems.
| S. no. | Target Group/Support System | Primary Roles |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Young Children | |
| Parents | Healthy parenting, engaging in interactive play activities, practising mental health hygiene, maintain consistent routine, promoting health behavior | |
| Paediatrician | Screening of vulnerable children, educating parents about developmental needs of children, managing mild stress and anxiety in children, referring to mental health care professionals | |
| Teachers/School counsellors | Educating about COVID-19, mental health promotion, coordinating with parents, referring to mental health care professionals | |
| Mental Healthcare Workers | Providing psychoeducation by tele- counselling, orienting brief diagnostic and psychological assessment tools to paediatricians, providing tele-therapy, providing face to face therapy following social distancing measures if necessary | |
| 2 | School going children and adolescents | |
| Teachers/ School counsellors | Life skill training, Educating about COVID-19, promoting Mental health, referring to mental health care professionals | |
| Parents | Practicing healthy communication, mental health hygiene, being positive role models, practicing adaptive coping | |
| Peer Group | Providing supportive role, problem solving | |
| Online support systems | Providing supportive role, referring to mental health care professionals | |
| Mental Healthcare Workers | tele counselling, providing online orientation for teachers, creating material for school teachers and school counsellors related to mental health promotion, life skill training, coordinating with parents | |
| 3 | Children with special needs | |
| Parents | Participating in management of behavior problems, maintaining consistent routine, promoting health behavior | |
| Special schools | Educating about COVID-19, Mental health promotion, referring to mental health care professionals | |
| Community Volunteers | Identifying high risk children, Providing psychological first aid, coordinating with care givers, referring to mental health care professionals | |
| Mental Healthcare Workers | Providing teleconsultations, providing parent-focused interventions and mental-wellbeing interventions, weighing risks and benefits of psychotropic medications | |
| 4 | Underprivileged/vulnerable children | |
| Parents | Healthy parenting, being supportive, problem solving | |
| Community Volunteers | Providing psychological first aid, financial empowerment if possible, coordinating with care givers, referring to mental health care professionals | |
| NGOs | identify high risk children, providing psychological first aid, coordinating with care givers and mental health care professionals | |
| Police | Providing psychological first aid, referring to mental health care professionals | |
| Mental Healthcare Workers | Creating material for community volunteers and NGOs for identifying high risk children e.g. underprivileged children, children of migrants, provide psychological first aid, coordinating with care givers and mental health care professionals. | |
| 5 | Quarantined parents/children | |
| Parents | If child is separated to keeping contact as much as possible, being supportive and reassuring | |
| Community Volunteers | Coordinating with care givers, referring to mental health care professionals | |
| Foster care givers | Being supportive, reassuring and educating | |
| Mental Healthcare Workers | Constructing and administring online questionnaires in order to detect psychological distress and other symptoms for children if they or their parents are quarantined, providing extra support to them and developing ad hoc supportive interventions. | |