Say goodbye to back-to-school syndrome by doing this

Popular Science Times reporter Chen Jie

At the beginning of the school year, the "divine beasts" have returned to their cages. Before some parents can even breathe a sigh of relief, they find that their children have symptoms such as mood swings, anxiety, insomnia, headaches, and loss of appetite for no apparent reason.

"This is what is medically known as 'back-to-school syndrome.'" Dong Yanbin, chief physician of the Department of Medical Psychology at the First Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital, said in an interview with the Popular Science Times on September 4, "Every time the school season starts, the hospital will receive a large number of students who come to the hospital for treatment due to back-to-school syndrome, most of whom are primary and secondary school students."

Back-to-school syndrome refers to a series of adverse physiological and psychological reactions that students experience after the holidays and at the beginning of the new semester due to a variety of reasons, which lead to their lack of adaptability and resistance to the new semester's study and life.

Why does back-to-school syndrome "favor" teenagers?

Dong Yanbin analyzed that primary and secondary school students are in a critical period of physical and mental development, and their adaptability and self-regulation abilities are relatively weak. In addition, the transition from vacation to school is a process of suddenly returning from a leisurely state to an intense learning mode. The huge contrast often makes it difficult for them to adapt. "In addition, academic pressure, changes in interpersonal relationships, and fear of the new environment are also important factors that lead to the back-to-school syndrome among primary and secondary school students," said Dong Yanbin.

Since the start of the school year, many students have visited the gastroenterology department for obvious abdominal pain, diarrhea, etc. Doctors have diagnosed that most of them are gastrointestinal disorders caused by back-to-school syndrome. "The continued existence of anxiety, tension and pressure not only builds up a complex stress pattern in students' psychology, but also affects the intestines, inducing a series of gastrointestinal symptoms," Xu Zhipeng, deputy chief physician of the gastroenterology department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, told reporters.

Xu Zhipeng reminds that in addition to psychological adjustments, this gastrointestinal dysfunction caused by anxiety and tension can also be improved with medication.

Back-to-school syndrome is not a disease in the medical sense, but just an adverse reaction of the body. However, its negative impact on children should not be ignored.

Dong Yanbin said that timely intervention by parents is the key to helping children get through this special period. "Once you find that your child is behaving differently than usual, parents should listen more and think from their perspective to understand their true feelings and needs, and then help them solve the problem, rather than just doubting and criticizing them."

In addition to the concern of parents, schools and teachers should also take on the responsibility of co-education in order to prevent problems and calmly deal with the back-to-school syndrome. Dong Yanbin suggested that primary and secondary schools should strengthen mental health education, and help students improve their psychological quality and adaptability by offering psychological courses and holding psychological lectures. "Teachers can also adjust the teaching rhythm appropriately and give children as much time as possible to adapt."

For teenagers, back-to-school syndrome is a common phenomenon, and the duration varies from person to person. Dong Yanbin said that after active guidance and self-regulation, the symptoms of back-to-school syndrome will basically disappear gradually, and parents do not need to worry too much. "But it should be noted that if the symptoms persist for more than two weeks without significant relief, and symptoms such as increased insomnia, weight loss, and silence appear, parents should take their children to the hospital in time for a face-to-face consultation and evaluation by a professional doctor." Dong Yanbin reminded.