ANNALISA ALCAZAR

IT HAS become apparent in my interactions within the community, and from reading social media comments, that a large majority of parents are shocked and angered about the reopening of schools. I read comments about how dare the Ministry of Education consider opening schools, including '…like they want my chile to dead!'

Some people are quite confused by these angered responses. However, at the root of anger is usually either hurt or fear. Many parents are petrified for schools to open. Many parents have become paralysed by fear.

I have been a mental health clinician for 18 years. Early in my career I specialised in treating trauma in childhood and more recently I have been specialising in treatment for anxiety disorders and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), using CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy)/exposure therapy.

Fear is always a component within these disorders, as well as in our everyday lives. Once triggered, the brain experiences a heightened fear response, and this often leads to a pattern of avoidance. However, what most do not understand is that once you avoid something you are afraid of, the fear is maintained or amplified.

Worrying, many do not know, is also an active form of avoidance, which increases fear and anxiety. Unconsciously it is used to avoid problem-solving and decision-making. Instead, you ruminate over and over without solving anything and you remain stuck. Those of us who worry excessively feel like we cannot turn off our minds, and it can be debilitating.

Anxiety takes a piece of the truth and twists it, then catastrophises it and tells us the bad thing will most definitely happen. So, for something that is highly unlikely to happen, now our anxiety tells us it will definitely happen. And of course it will happen to us. Therefore we become highly afraid and avoid the circumstance.

Many parents have been able to avoid their biggest fear - their child getting covid19 - by hiding their children at home. Children, it seems, have been on permanent lockdown in Trinidad since March 2020. No school, no sport and no outdoor activities. The legislation made it convenient for parents to tuck children away, and unfortunately still does considering the newest 'safe zone' regulations for sports are only for ages 12 and over.

What consideration has the legislation given to the mental and emotional health of our young children? Parents have created in their minds a false sense of safety about the children being safer at home, but that is also a neat thing about worries - they lie and play tricks on us. Are they really safer at home, considering the adult population is out and about?

Anxiety can become the driver of all things. We must ensure we do not let it steer the wheel. Often fear and anxiety are not logical. For example, evidence has shown it's six times more likely for a child to die in a car accident than it is for a child to die of covid19. You don't see people keeping their children out of vehicles, yet they are content to keep them out of school.