Children’s mental health is a topic that needs to be talked about as ultimately the number of young people who say that they are experiencing difficulties with their mental health is on the rise. In the last 5 or 6 years, the rates of diagnosable mental health conditions in children and young people between the ages of 6 and 19 has increased from approximately one in nine to one in six.
Before discussing which are the most common mental health difficulties that children and young people suffer from, it is perhaps worth remembering that navigating childhood and adolescence is a difficult task for most of us anyway, and that is before you even factor in any additional mental health difficulties.
Adolescence is a time when we start to grow up, develop, figure out our own identity, experiment, develop friendships, develop relationships, devise career plans, and ultimately become more and more independent. Childhood and adolescence is a time whereby we all increasingly explore the world around us whilst at the same time, hopefully, having a safe base to go back to.
Indeed, many researchers suggest that brains continue to develop and personalities continue to be formed well into our 20s and so for many, if not all, of the years before this happens most of us will simply not have a stable sense of who we are, and where we are going.
What are common mental health conditions that impact children?
Like in adulthood, there are many types of mental health conditions that can impact children and adolescents with the most common of these falling within the sphere of anxiety and low mood. This could vary between mild worries about a particular issue (e.g. school) to diagnosable mental health conditions such as panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, attachment difficulties or depression.
There are also other mental health conditions that are less common but do have their origins in adolescence such as psychosis, bipolar disorder or eating disorder. Neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism, ADHD, or Tourette’s also have their origins in childhood and although they themselves are not mental health conditions, young people with these conditions often tend to have a higher proportion of additional mental health needs.
What factors can cause children to struggle with their mental health?
Mental health conditions are rarely caused by one specific trigger or one identifiable factor. Instead there is usually a combination of lots of factors. However we do know that the more adverse childhood experiences that people go through, this increases the likelihood that someone will experience mental health difficulties.
Adverse childhood experiences can be thought of as stressful, and potentially traumatic, events or situations that occur during childhood or adolescence that ultimately damage one’s sense of safety, stability and belonging. Examples include suffering abuse or neglect, exposure to domestic violence, parental separation or family tension, exposure to drug use, or suffering from singular or multiple episodes of trauma.
Not all children and young people that go through these experiences will develop mental health difficulties, and there will be some young people who have seemingly gone through no adverse childhood experiences who then do go on to develop mental health conditions. That being said, there does appear to be a correlation between the number of adverse childhood experiences an individual has and the likelihood of developing mental health difficulties.
How can parents / loved ones see / know when their child is suffering from mental health?
The main thing to look out for is a change to how someone usually behaves or acts. We are all impacted differently by mental health and so no two people who are experiencing, say, depression will present in exactly the same way. They will however both likely present different to how they were before the depressive symptoms set in.
With this in mind some questions to ask is does anything seem different or is the young person behaving in a different way, e.g. are they withdrawing more than usual or speaking about things less than usual? Has their appetite or sleep patterns changed? Are they doing things to cope that they didn’t previously? Has their thinking styles changed?
It is important to remember the children and young people are constantly developing and going through their respective developmental milestones and it is important not to over forget typical growing up behaviours. However if you are have a feeling that something isn’t quite right then listen to that feeling.
How can parents/loved ones support a child who’s suffering from mental health?
Be there. You can never force a child or young person to speak about what is going on for them. They might not be ready yet. They might be trying to make sense of what is going on for them before they are ready to communicate. The best thing that we can do though is to make sure that when they are ready to talk about it, that you will be there to listen.
There might be a temptation to try and go into problem solving mode and try and fix whatever is going on, and sometimes that might be appropriate. Often however it is having their internal thoughts and feelings validated that makes the most difference. Remember adolescence is a scary time by itself and it is scarier still when mental health difficulties are added to the melting pot. Validation and reassurance can go a long way.
It might be that parents themselves also need some support as they too might feel alone with what is going on. There are plenty of support groups around for parents that can provide some reassurance or strategies that might be helpful. There is a saying that suggests that we need to remember to look after ourselves so that we can help others, and this also applies to parents / carers helping their children.
Do you have any advice for children suffering with mental health or their emotions?
The main piece of advice would be to remember that even if it feels like it, they are not alone. Even if it feels like they are trapped and there is no way out from what they are feeling, there is. One thing they could do is to try and find and speak with a trusted adult, and this could be a parent, grandparent, teacher, or other professional. It is possible that although it is scary, this conversation might be the starting point towards finding a solution.
It might be that the child or young person just needs someone to talk things through, or it might be that they need a bit of extra support from a professional. If this is the case then this is absolutely nothing to be ashamed about and GPs or professionals from CAMHS are usually a good starting point.
Some young people feel like they don’t have a trusted adult around them and simply don’t know who to turn to. In those instances it is still important to reach out for help. Childline for example offers confidential support for children and young people who are struggling with their mental health. Childine’s number is 0800 1111.