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Child Mental Health
MENTAL HEALTH STATISTICS
Depression No.1 health issue in the USA today
1 in 5 children with a mental health problem (Mental Health Foundation UK)
Studies suggest that one in four New Zealand children are likely to experience some kind of significant mental health problem before they reach adolescence (Ministry of Health (1998)
Mental Health is a global problem. The WHO predicts that by 2020 depression will have become the second highest cause of death and disability in the world
19 million people take anti depressants
40,000 children take anti depressants
50,000 children take Ritalin
170,000 attend hospital with self harm injuries
There is increasing concern about binge drinking and an increasing concern about the suicide rate in young men.
CHILD STRESS AND CHILDHOOD DEPRESSION ARE CLOSELY RELATED
Depression is the leading symptom of being over stressed. Children experience strong feelings of stress, confusion, self-doubt, pressure to fit in, to succeed, financial uncertainty, and other fears while growing up.
For too many children, suicide may appear to be a solution to their problems and stress.
Persistent sadness, feelings of helplessness and worthlessness, and expressions of hopelessness indicate childhood depression. If untreated, childhood depression could lead to suicidal thoughts and self-destructive behavior.
STRESS > DEPRESSION > SELF DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR
Suicides among young people continue to be a serious problem. Each year in the U.S., thousands of children and teenagers commit suicide.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15-to-24-year-olds, and suicide is the sixth leading cause of death for 5-to-14-year-olds.
Depression and suicidal feelings are treatable disorders and often strong indicators of stress overload.
TEACHING OUR CHILDREN STRESS MANAGEMENT IS HIGHLY PREVENTATIVE
For starters take this CHILDHOOD AND TEENAGE STRESS TEST and see where your child rates on the stress scale. This will give you a starting point for teaching stress management skills that can head off childhood depression and its more serious consequences. On this same site you'll find numerous stress management techniques and tools you can use with both yourself and your children, starting even when they are very young.
SHOCKING CHILDHOOD DEPRESSION STATISTICS
The rate of childhood depression is increasing by 23% a year according to a Harvard Medical Center study.
The rate of depression is doubling every 20 years.
1 in 4 English children suffers from depression.
Preschoolers are the fastest growing market for antidepressants.
There is absolutely no medical evidence that antidepressants work for young children. (a 2004 clinical review in the British medical Journal found no scientific evidence whatsoever that SSRIs work for preschoolers, or indeed for anyone under the age of eighteen.)
Antidepressants have been shown to lead to suicide in children under 18, warned the US Food and Drug Association (FDA) in 2004.
UNDERSTANDING WHY MEDICATING CHILDREN IS ON THE RISE
Medication use in children has increased 500 percent since 1991, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Recent research studies confirm what school teachers have known for many years: The number of kids taking anti-depressants and psychotropic medication has increased alarmingly in recent years.
Psychotropic medications treat a variety of behavior, emotional, and mental disorders, including ADHD. They are stimulants increase nervous system alertness by stimulating neurotransmitters in the brain.
ARE STRESSED OUT PARENTS MORE APT TO MEDICATE THEIR KIDS?
Is modern day stress responsible for the rise in mental/emotional disorders and soaring medication use?
Are already over stressed parents less able to handle the demands of parenting and turning to childhood medication to control their children?
As more and more parents turn to medication themselves for depression and anxiety, this is a question that is coming up more and more with the rising use of medications for childhood depression, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Research on Increases in Drug Treatment for Childhood ADHD give us the following statistics:
*The number of preschool children being treated with medication for ADHD tripled between 1990 and 1995.
*The number of children ages 15 to 19 taking medication for ADHD has increased by 311 percent over 15 years.
*The use of medication to treat children between the ages of 5 and 14 also increased by approximately 170 percent.
*White, suburban elementary children are given medication to treat ADHD at more than twice the rate of African American students.
*Methylphenidate (commonly known as Ritalin) is manufactured at two and a half times the rate of a decade ago.
*The majority of children and adolescents who receive stimulants for ADHD do not fully meet the criteria for ADHD.
*Many children who do meet the criteria for ADHD are not being treated.
*About 80 percent of the 11 million prescriptions written for methylphenidate (Ritalin is the brand name) each year are written for children.
Bottomline - Yes, in one scientific research study after another scientists are learning that modern day stress is a major contributing factor in the sharp rise of mental and emotional disorders and the subsequent rise in medications.
WHAT CAN I DO TODAY?
Begin today taking stress management seriously. Learn to recognize the signs of childhood depression and stress generally. Develop Emotional Literacy programmes in your home and school.
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