The invisible enemy attacking our children
- benjthompson1
- Feb 10, 2024
- 4 min read
ID: A picture of young children running at school - copyright owned by wix.com
To see or hear a child playing, running, laughing or talking with friends are things that are great things to behold but when they are ill or crying it can be hard for any to see. We all have a picture of what children should be like. This is formed by our own childhood's, our religion, customs or personal beliefs and age. Very few of us though want to see harm come to them but this is happening on a scale of unprecedented proportions never seen before. Compounded by the Coronavirus Covid 19 pandemic, children like never before are suffering from fear, anxiety and depression to such an extent that over 50% of British children have a mental illness (Places2be, 2024). This is not the same as the American Childhood Bipolar Disorder diagnosis issue that has been fuelled by big pharmaceuticals and private medical ethics (Cleveland clinic, 2024). This genuine issue is a major reason why so many children can not attend school. So what is causing this and what can we do as a society to help our future selves?
Causation
Causation means what has caused this pandemic? There are numerous newspaper articles, books, research papers or personal feelings on this topic. Bad mental wellbeing is considered by some communities as not an issue or believed, others argue what has caused it or can help our children. It most certainly can not be cured by ignoring it, calling in a priest or discipline. This is a genuine medical issue. The brain is the second largest organ in the human body and controls our body movement and all its functions, knowledge and thoughts. Our brain is one of very few organs, like the heart, that we can not live without. You and me are our brains! In children, as they are in a constant biological flux as their brains grow and develop as they grow new synapses and recycle old ones and have peaks and troughs in neuro-chemicals are susceptible to having them damaged. We have been living in a time of dire uncertainty, unemployment, few job or career prosects, high crime, gang culture, drugs and violence let alone parental neglect and abuse. To some extent adults can think things through or understand what is happening and why. But children can not do that - they are not mini adults.
These societal issues are then compounded by a dying NHS system of health care drastically mismanaged, underfunded, short staffed and politicised. Mental Health has never been invested in by the political party in government in the UK. Politicians can use their private healthcare paid for by the public to sort any health concern out. It don't affect me syndrome. So what can we do to help the children in our family or those that we know?
Caring for the Mental Health of Children
According to Mental Health UK (2024) having open communication channels with children and young adults, especially as parents is a must. There home environments need to be a place of safety and refuge. When we ask how their day was, allow them to open up and take the time to talk to them don't just ask them on the cuff and then move on. Make the time. Why not download the chart below designed by Places2be and Mental Health UK which gives a number of suggestions in how to start conversations with our kids.
The NHS and Every Mind Matters suggest the follow 6 things to support the mental wellbeing of our young ones:
Listen - Be there to listen to them and there thoughts and feelings.
Be involved - Have an active part in there life each day even if it means chatting after our work, reading or playing together etc.
Take what they say seriously - Do not rubbish or dismiss their thoughts or feelings. It may be different to what you did as a child or what you were allowed to do.
Actively support them - If they ask for support or not, be there for them - big or small problems.
Encourage their interests - We all are individuals so don't dismiss what they like or don't like.
Have a positive routine with them - This may mean a regular bed time reading routine, setting reasonable boundaries and sticking to them or be active with them (go to the park, walks, play video games with them etc.) and try not to let anything get in the way of this time even work.
Its not easy as a parent these days especially if your child has ill health or behavioural difficulties. All of us in the community have a part to play by supporting children and giving them a safe place to grow and learn. Its time to get rid of poverty in the 5th richest nation in the world so children go hungry, unloved, victimised and cold. We may feel that its important to care for the elderly, and it is, so why is not important to love and care for our children? Why are we not investing in government funded mental health? We need psychologists and mental health practioners not more on the rich list. We need to start pressuring the government into what they are supposed to do - provide adequate health care for ALL and not have 12 year waiting lists for mental health care. Its not the responsibility of charities to provide mental health care it the responsibility of the government.
National Mental Health Support
Your local NHS will have services for children and young adults. As waiting lists are extremely long - do not delay in either contacting your GP or you may be able to self-refer:
Charity Mental Health Support
You can check Google or through any search engine on the internet but make sure the source of information is trusted and comes from a research based source.
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