Child Mental Health
We do not hear them clearly, and we keep not hearing them clearly. Instead, we stick to our old systems, which never worked and still don’t work - Jane Ehrenfeld
image by: Maryland GovPics
HWN Suggests
Lost in the Storm
A chorus of voices, rising through the last decade (or more), has become a crescendo: We are experiencing a child mental health crisis. You could paper the Eiffel Tower with articles on this topic, very, very few of which have any real solutions. But as a mom caught in a small boat out in this perfect storm, I do not need these pieces to tell me what I have lived. I already know that trying to obtain humane therapeutic care for a child in crisis is no easier than trying to stop a hurricane. This is the story of my attempt.
Featured
Investing In The Next Wave Of Children's Mental Healthcare Access
Money meets mission in America's latest healthcare frontier. Currently, 1 in 5 children experiences a mental health condition, while more than 50% of these young patients cannot access appropriate care. It’s numbers like these that have sparked a gold rush among investors like Khadijah Robinson, General Partner at Fictive Ventures, to support entrepreneurs like Hafeezah Muhammad, CEO of Backpack Healthcare, an A-I driven mental health platform for children, to transform the industry into a catalyst for innovation and representation.
What I wish you knew about your child’s mental health: how aiming for high self-esteem is a mistake
High self-esteem is fragile, says developmental paediatrician Dr Bill Garvey. There are three pillars to helping children build a more stable sense of self.
Articles of Interest
'Kids Are Not OK' Says Mental Health Expert
A global pandemic, school shootings, climate change, war: Children and teenagers are experiencing and being treated for unprecedented levels of anxiety and depression.
A closer look at the declining mental health of kids
Studies have raised alarms about the many ways kids have been affected by the pandemic — from loneliness to faltering grades. NPR's Sarah McCammon discusses this with psychologist Lisa Damour.
Busting myths: Understanding children’s mental health
Contrary to popular belief, children can indeed grapple with mental health challenges. These difficulties can manifest in various forms, including anxiety, depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and more. Disregarding these concerns can have lasting repercussions on a child’s growth and well-being.
Children and Mental Health: Is This Just a Stage?
All children are sad, anxious, irritable, or aggressive at times, and many find it occasionally challenging to sit still, pay attention, or interact with others. In most cases, these are just typical developmental phases. However, such behaviors may also indicate a more serious problem in some children.
Children in Mental-Health Crisis Surge Into Hospital E.R.s
Rising cases and long waits for treatment have desperate families turning to emergency departments for help.
Children With Mental Health Problems Are Also at Risk as Adults
Having psychiatric problems in childhood is challenging enough, but new evidence suggests that these problems can lead to issues as an adult—even if the problems do not persist into adulthood.
Children’s mental health and the digital world: how to get the balance right
Digital technology exposes children to information, social connection, education, online support groups and professional help. Yet, children engaging in the digital world are also exposed to a range of threats. These include inappropriate content (violent or sexual), undesirable contact with strangers and online bullying and victimisation.
How lack of independent play is impacting children's mental health
NPR's Juana Summers speaks with research professor Peter Gray about the connection between the decline of children's mental health and the decline of independent play.
How to confront COVID-19's toll on kids’ mental health
Anxiety, depression, and self harm have all increased during the pandemic. Here's what experts say and what interventions are needed.
My 9-Year-Old and I Talk Openly About My Mental Illness
I have bipolar I disorder, aka manic depressive illness. When I sail into a hypomanic state, it doesn’t always look like big, impressive madness. I lose a lot of filters and boundaries, have incredible mystical experiences, and my senses become hypersensitive. Irritability and anxiety reach high levels, too. Compound that with perimenopause, and it can be rough on my husband and son. I’ve responded by not only doing all the medical things one should do, but also by explaining what’s going on to my 9-year-old son. I apologize for my snappiness, anxiety, and rage when they come through.
Should Parents Worry About New Research Linking Kids’ Mental Health and Individual Sports?
According to the study, children who played team sports had fewer mental health difficulties than those who didn’t play sports.
The consequences of childhood trauma on children’s mental health
Children exposed to trauma in our study showed higher rates of a broad range of mental health problems, including anxiety, mood disorders, ADHD or hyperactivity, and disruptive disorders – also known as “behaviour problems”. For instance, 6% of 11-year-olds who had experienced trauma had an anxiety disorder, compared to 3.3% of children who had not experienced trauma.
There’s a Mental-Health Crisis Among American Children. Why?
It would be easy to blame the pandemic for changes in mental health that have been observed since March 2020. But in December, when the surgeon general noted a “mental-health crisis” among young people, he made clear that rising numbers of children and young adults were struggling with anxiety and depression before Covid-19.
What It’s Like to Be Diagnosed With Depression at Eight Years Old
Looking back, the depression makes sense. As a child, while others would play, I’d isolate myself. I wasn’t the mischievous boy dads treasured, nor the Milkybar kid mums adored. I was, as a child, largely singular, hard to understand and frustratingly despondent. Clearly an anomaly when I started school, I was naturally bullied by the other kids.
