Children, Youth and Young Adults
Introduction
The proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child” has been widely quoted, as one reflects on the collaborated efforts needed during a child’s developmental years. Being that the children spend most of their day in school, the schools are the key in early identification of mental illness in children. Bullying has a negative impact on a young person physically, socially, academically but also mentally. Weather they are victims, perpetrators or witnesses, bullying has serious mental health consequence for children and young adults. Mental illness impacts millions of children and young adults across the country for various reasons and it is our responsibility as parents, teachers and health
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Childhood mental disorder means all mental disorders that can be diagnosed and begin in childhood. Symptoms of mental illness change as a child grows, and some of the most noticeable ones include difficulties with how a child speaks, learns, plays, and also how the child handles their emotions. Are we as a society doing everything we can to notice, acknowledge and be there for our children before it is too late to help them? Are we paying attention to the possible signs and symptoms of mental illness? Delaying appropriate mental health treatment during childhood leads to inability of developing appropriate emotional milestones as well as the ability to learn healthy social skills and how to cope with problems (CDC - Child Development, Children's Mental Health - NCBDDD, …show more content…
This act would provide funding needed to train school staff on mental health issues and it would create a comprehensive program linking school with the community services in order to recognize early signs and symptoms of mental health illness. Our children and young adults deserve to have access to behavioral services and school staff that are trained to recognize the need for intervention when it comes to recognizing the signs and symptoms of mental illness. According to NAMI, 13% of children between the ages of 8-15 and 20% of youth between the ages of 13-18, struggle with mental illness on a daily basis (National Alliance on Mental Health, 2014). We owe it to our youth populations to take these numbers seriously and to help them become productive members of our
Bullying has been recognized as a risk factor in improvement and personal growth of children and adulthood. It is a form of hostile conduct in which an individual engages to cause another individual harm or distress (Kirves, & Sajaniemi, 2012).. Therefore, it is vital to be able to detect signs of bullying in order to stop further consequences, such as self-harm, and suicide. Children who have experienced bullying become hopeless, anxious, have low self-efficacy, and have recurrent negative thoughts (Kirves, & Sajaniemi, 2012). Research in bullying has also concluded that children who bully other children are more prone to become anti-social and engage in criminal activity (Kirves, & Sajaniemi, 2012).
Another major problem with mental illness in society is that when mental illness goes untreated for a prolonged time, it leads to other problems such as incarceration, violence, suicide, psychosis, and homelessness (Van Maren, 2000). Thus, it is best to treat an individual with a mental health condition immediately after it is recognized and diagnosed. Most of the mental health conditions mentioned above appear during childhood (CDC, 2015), and it is best to address mental health issues in children. Children are the future; therefore, it is imperative to provide children with the necessary tools in order to become successful as an adult. Mental illnesses are treated by medications, counseling services, and intensive behavioral health services. In addition, the greatest way of reducing the burden of
The way policy H.R. 628 works, it expands resources for mental health care in or outside of schools. This policy has expectations to grant schools contact to local organizations that deals with mental health. This legislation will provide preparation and training to employees at the school district, local volunteers, students families and as well, to the children. H.R. 628 Mental Health in Schools Act of 2013 is encouraging members of the community to be educated on mental health within the schools and ways they can help deal with a mental illness. The more individuals who are
Schools need to educate parents and children about mental health and illness. According to an article published by the Association for Children’s Mental Health, “1 in 5 children and youth have a diagnosable emotional, behavioral or mental health disorder and 1 in 10 young people have a mental health challenge that is severe enough to impair how they function at home, school or in the community” (Problems at School). Schools could hold educational meetings on mental health to inform and aid parents and children to determine when they need to address mental health. Additionally, incorporating a stronger mental health aspect in the state required health
Children of all ages involuntary go through childhood stress and the burdens that often times come along with it. Many children go through common struggles such as poverty, divorce and etc. that can not be controlled. Although childhood stress can not be avoided, assistance from adults that have also been through childhood stress and positive tactics to releasing stress can help in the battle of childhood stress and turn it from a negative situation into a positive learning experience.
With the amount of stigma surrounding mental health in the United States, mental health initiatives help prevent long-term problems and amplify the outreach and aid most adolescents receive for their disorders. According to the Center for Mental Health in Schools, 12-22% of school-aged children have a diagnosable mental health disorder, whether it be anxiety, depression, substance abuse, etc. Without some form of intervention, youth with untreated mental health issues
Along with mental illnesses, there have also been several cases where bullying was the cause for a child to act out in a violent way, or the bullying itself was taken to extreme levels. Bullying is becoming a widely spread epidemic, with students handling it in very different ways. Children have done everything from commit suicide as an escape from bullying to killing entire classrooms of people to get back at the bullies. According to the National Institute of Health, “both childhood bullies and their victims are more likely to engage in more serious violent behavior, like frequent fighting and carrying weapons” (Longley). Bullying is a serious thing that should not be taken lightly and, like any other issue, parents should be
It is essential to take into account the socio-cultural environment the child evolves in prior taking
Children’s mental health is a very important part of learning because children need to be able to control their emotions and behaviors in order to function in developmentally appropriate ways. Mental health refers to children’s abilities to understand and manage their emotions and behaviors, to function positively with others in age appropriate and developmentally appropriate ways, and to form meaningful relationships (Amador, Daeschel, and Sorte, Pg. 416). Children are emotional rollercoasters and each one learn from adults on how to handle certain things as they grow up from the time they are
In today’s society we tend to overlook some of the mental issues in our peers among us, especially in some school systems. At least 20 percent of youth ages 13 through 18 live with mental illnesses today. A mental illness can be defined as a dysfunction of the brain that causes mild to severe disturbances in thought or behavior, resulting in an inability to coupe with life’s ordinary demands and routines. Overall there are more than 200 classified forms of mental illness. There are some types of mental illness that are more common than others, but among youth the three main mental health issues are attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression.
Mornings filled with coloring, recess, and naps; afternoons spent with mom playing superheroes and baking cookies; evenings spent with dad telling him about the cool new friend you met playing Red Rover at school.The life of a child is relatively simple and pain-at least in the sense we often relate it to as adults-is often non-existent and if present usually doesn’t go past not getting to be the line leader at school. So what exactly leads to the loss of innocence as a child? Is it simply something that occurs as you age, or could it be prevented? School age children are often exposed to criticism and sometimes bullying and the older they get the worse it typically gets. Yet, studies have shown that for children predisposed to mental health issues bullying can have serious consequences on the psyche of young adolescents. So why is it as a society we refuse to recognize mental illness in children, we don’t screen for it and in most cases when suspected we don’t treat for it due to their being under the age of 18. We must try as a society to extinguish the negative attitude we hold against those with mental illness problems in order to get our children the help they need and deserve.
Pre-adolescence is a crucial stage in a child’s life because it is during this stage that kids can learn the coping mechanism that can prevent complications later on in life (Britton et al., 2014). Some children and adolescents may not have the opportunity to seek proper mental health care during their childhood. This may be due to parents overworking or simply not being able to afford quality mental health care services (Bucci et al., 2016). However, schools can serve children and adolescents as a
Would you want to wake up one day and have a mental illness and realize you have money to afford help but know you can 't let it just slide? Even though mental health is expensive, it is needed as an aid for the illnesses of the people getting help. Mental health funding helps the citizens that can 't afford the help for it. They provide a stress free environment for families and citizens since they don 't have to worry about the expenses of the help.
There is a lot of controversy about whether schools should pay for mental health services for students. Some schools vote yes for spending more money to help the students cope with their mental illnesses, while others disagree. Money is an essential aspect in helping students get the mental health help they need. Schools should focus on spending more money on programs that will benefit these students because it prevents school attacks from happening by students, it will help students get better grades and achieve more in academics, and possibly prevent the students from ever getting the mental health diseases in the first place.
This psychotherapeutic approach will make a difference in schools, as it will help eliminate the bullying gradually over time once and for all in lieu of suppressing it by helping the bully recognize his/her own potential. This is because many latter-day approaches to bullying focus on raising awareness in order to help and step in for the victim being bullied, but generally ignore the problems that the bullies themselves may be facing. Some of the next steps that schools and activists should take in order to stop bullying permanently include promoting the recognition of bullying and how important it is to help bully as well. This can be done by providing emotional support by close relatives or friends in which the bully may be lacking in his/her life in the first place. People must also come to accept the realization that just because someone appears to be feeling alright externally does not mean that they are suffering internally (for example, fitting into a culture). Finally, even if psychotherapy is not resorted to, schools should try their best in order to encourage such therapy and raise awareness to eradicate any stigma associated with mental illnesses and psychotherapy as a whole.