Children's Mental Health

Growing up is never any easy time and for some children there are things which can trigger mental ill health. This can be seen in many different ways, however children, as with adults experiencing similar issues, can feel stigmatised and unable to approach people for help.

Mental health is a subject that many of us find difficult to discuss, primarily because of a fear of saying the wrong thing and making matters worse.  Mental ill health is however a prevalent issue, with it being estimated that around 1 in 6 children will experience some form of mental ill health at some point in their childhood.  If you think about the place that you work in, this could mean that there are a lot of children and young people who may experience some form of difficulty around mental health, and research suggests this number is increasing.  As with adults, the reasons behind a child’s mental ill health can be varied, and whilst some children and young people do self-harm or contemplate taking their own lives, this is not the case for everyone.

It is therefore important that we do not turn a blind eye and hope it all goes away.  Stigma is a significant issue when suffering from mental health ill health and so it is important that we lead by example and that we also ensure that when working with individuals or groups of children and young people we educate them about mental ill health and how to help friends who may be experiencing problems.  As per the title of our in-depth safeguarding insight on children and young people’s mental health, knowledge dispels fear (and therefore reduces stigma).

What helps good mental health?

For children to remain mentally well they need:

• good physical health (including good diet and regular exercise).
• to be able to explore and develop interests (through their environment, play and interaction with others).
• to feel part of a family (feeling as though they belong, get along with others, are loved, valued and safe).
• to be supported to learn, be optimistic and feel that they have a say.
• to feel part of a community (e.g. school / nursery / etc.).
• to be supported to cope when things do not go well.
• to be supported to learn how to problem solve.

Starting difficult conversations

If you are worried about a young person, try to get them to talk to you.  Often they will want to talk but will not speak until someone asks how they are.

• As when dealing with disclosures, use open ended questions.  For example “Tell me about…”, “How do you feel about …” and “What happened about …”;
• Repeat back what they say to show that you understand;
• Do not try to solve the problem – that will come over time.  Initially focus on their feelings – this can be of more help and show that you care;
• Try to let them make their own decisions – they are more likely to stick to what they decide than to follow what they are told to do by someone else;
• Be careful not to fall into the trap of trying to fix everything or dish out advice – let them lead the conversation and identify what they want to happen;
• Remember you do not need to be an expert to be able to help;
• Remember that everyone is different – an approach that worked with one young person may not work with another.

(adapted from the Samaritans advice page)