Positive mental health is vital to a child’s development. Many mental health problems either stem from childhood trauma or present themselves at a young age. In honor of the youth who struggle with their mental health, our rehab in Palm Beach and the rest of the country are taking part in National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day on May 7th, 2022. This is an opportunity to change the misconceptions around mental health among youth. It’s also a challenge for everyone to recognize children’s individuality rather than associating them with the characteristics or symptoms of their diagnosis.
What Is National Children’s Mental Health Day?
National Children’s Mental Health Day is held on May 7th as an extension of Children’s Mental Health Week to raise awareness about the importance of recognizing the importance of positive mental health for child development. In light of the pandemic, focusing on mental health awareness in children and teens, as well as supporting conversations among parents and guardians regarding their children’s mental state, is a growing need.
Depression, anxiety, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are among the most common mental health disorders in children. Below are the estimates of each condition in children aged 3 to 17 years from 2016 to 2019:
- ADHD 9.8% (approximately 6.0 million) 1
- Anxiety 9.4% (approximately 5.8 million) 1
- Behavior problems 8.9% (approximately 5.5 million) 1
- Depression 4.4% (approximately 2.7 million) 1
Some of these conditions occur simultaneously. For instance, in 2016, every 3 in 4 children aged 3 to 17 years with depression also had anxiety (73.8%), and almost 1 in 2 had behavior problems (47.2%).2 Unfortunately, most of these cases go undetected and untreated. The consequences of not addressing mental illness in children extend to adulthood and often involve worsening symptoms and a more disruptive lifestyle. Untreated mental illness often contributes to addiction, self-harm, and suicide.
For these reasons, it’s crucial to increase public awareness about the needs of children and teens with serious mental illness and their families, provide information about treatment, and encourage those who need help to seek mental health care. National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day is also meant to encourage the parents and guardians of children to be open to their kids’ mental health needs, open to conversations concerning mental illness, and view kids with mental illness in light of their uniqueness and not their disorders.
How to Spread Child Mental Health Awareness
If you believe that teens’ and children’s mental health matters, there are plenty of ways you can take part in National Children’s Mental Health Day. Below are some ways to spread child mental health awareness.
- Model healthy coping skills
- Watch for behavioral changes in your children or the children of loved ones
- Be open and honest to your kids about mental illness
- Encourage your children to talk about their mental health with you
- Create a routine for your kids at home to reduce anxiety
- Remind your kids daily that you love them
- Provide positive feedback and encouragement when they do something well
- Encourage joyful movement among your kids or teens
- Involve your child in making minor decisions, so they don’t feel out of control
- Open up about your personal experience with mental illness to your kids and others
- Encourage kind language among others and your family
- Educate yourself about mental illness so you can be prepared to recognize any signs
- Volunteer at a children’s mental health campaign or organization
- Use social media to spread awareness
National Children’s Mental Health Day is the perfect time to start conversations with your loved ones and the community about mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, ADHD, and suicide. If just one person’s efforts can make such a huge difference, imagine what a whole community can accomplish!
Additionally, for the children and teens who grew up and never received treatment, our Seaside Palm Beach rehab can help. Our facility offers various forms of mental health care, including anxiety and depression treatment, to teach clients how to properly manage their symptoms and live fulfilling and happy lives.
For more information about our Palm Beach addiction treatment or mental health services, call Seaside today at 561-677-9374.
Sources:
- CDC – Data and Statistics on Children’s Mental Health
- NIH – Prevalence and Treatment of Depression, Anxiety, and Conduct Problems in US Children
Related Reading:
