As a society it’s often thought that we overlook the importance of child mental health, in that some fail to recognise the seriousness of it. According to the NHS in 2017 one in eight 5 to 19 year olds had at least one mental health disorder. Although, mental health services should be accessible to all, only 30% of these children/young people received appropriate interventions or support, which I am sure you’ll agree is an alarming figure.
This could potentially be a result of many reasons such as; gaps in services for at-risk children, negative perceptions or stigma surrounding mental health, lack of education/awareness, difficulty for children to verbalise what they’re going though and many more. Understanding and helping to tackle these barriers is an important step towards facilitating early access to mental health services and improving psychological well-being overall. I believe that the more child mental health is openly discussed and spoken about, the easier it is to break down these barriers and the ‘taboo’ that sadly surrounds it.
For parents who are concerned about your child’s mental health, it is normal to feel scared/confused or wonder where it ‘went wrong’. I would like to offer comfort here by telling you that mental illness does not discriminate; meaning that it can affect anyone regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity, religion, childhood, background etc. And the exact cause of most mental disorders is unknown, but research suggests that it can be due to a number of factors.
How you can help…
It is common for adults to misunderstand the importance of, a child’s mental health, sometimes hoping that it is just a ‘phase’, or the child is ‘attention seeking’. The evidence shows that we should encourage children to understand and verbalise their own thoughts and feelings. This can be done through using a range of occupations such as games, drawings/pictures, stories and even using creative activities. To allow them to express what they might be experiencing.
Similarly, when children do express difficult emotions, we might be inclined to tell them ‘it’s all going to be fine’ or ‘there is nothing to worry about’. As much as we want them to feel okay, doing this invalidates their emotions. A better approach is to have open conversations with them, getting them to discuss their feelings, helping them to focus on the positives and where appropriate talking to them about your own feelings. Doing this will reinforce to them that you care and that you are there to listen to them when they need you to.
My final thought is to encourage everyone to educate themselves further on the signs and symptoms of common mental health problems and research what support and services are available for children and young adults. The quicker we can intervene and give a child the help that they need, the less likely these problems are to persist into adulthood.
Sources:
– https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/c/children-and-young-people
