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Please note that this insight was first published in January 2019, and therefore whilst the subject matter is still relevant, it may not represent the most up to date information in this area.
Why do I need to know about children and young people's mental health (in 60 seconds)
Mental ill-health and specifically children and young people’s mental health is an emotive subject. Often, staff will avoid talking about mental health with both peers and the young people they work with because of fear of the unknown. This stigma however serves to isolate the young person further at a time when they need help and support the most. On other occasions, a young person may be seen as having behavioural issues and work is done with them to address this as opposed to recognising that the behaviour is linked to an expression of mental ill-health.
By reducing the stigma and helping children and young people to develop social and emotional resilience we can reduce the impact of mental ill-health on individuals. By providing staff, children and young people with the knowledge to talk about mental ill-health, we can reduce the fear response that is triggered when faced with unknown situations and instead focus on the needs of the individual.
Some groups of children and young people are more vulnerable than others. However, the pressures of the school system (for example, transitions and national examinations) can lead to the most emotionally resilient child developing mental ill-health. Social media and modern technology are also cited as causes of mental ill-health and so it's important that these areas are considered in the wider curriculum and as potentially affecting the many, not just the few.
Introduction
Time to Change, a collation of charities working in the mental health arena, published a blog in July 2018 (removed March 2021 due to the project coming to a close). The author, aged 15, stated they had recently been told by one of their classmates that “they didn’t want to be involved with someone who self-harms”. The author goes on to set out that self-harm is addictive, and in a similar vein to smokers and drug users the author describes self-harm as a stress relief, anger release as well as serving other purposes. However, the issue is that the people who are potentially best placed to help are those who do not want to or feel unable to.
Mental health is a difficult subject for many people, young and old alike. Yet mental ill health is common, with it estimated that 25% of people will experience mental ill health at some point in their lives. In an average classroom of 30 children this means that on average between 7 and 8 children will have a period of mental ill health in the life that is ahead of them. NHS data (2016) builds on this suggesting that at least three children in every class (one in ten aged 5-16) has a diagnosable problem (e.g. conduct disorder, anxiety disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or depression), with half of these children having an established mental health problem by the time they are 14 years old. The same report reinforces that children experiencing these conditions are more likely to have poor outcomes upon leaving school.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (2018) highlight that this is an increasing issue, particularly amongst girls. They summarise that:
“Although data are insufficient to estimate trends for diagnosed mental health disorders, reported mental health problems have increased five-fold over the past 20 years and will increase a further 63% by 2030 if current trends continue.” (p.4)
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