Convincing Parents: Mental Health in Children

According to the World Health Organisation, “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Mental health is an integral component of our body’s complete healthcare process.

An important implication of this definition is the fact that mental health is much more than just the absence of mental disorders or disabilities. It is a state of complete mental well-being wherein an individual can self-actualise his or her abilities and can cope with the normal stresses of daily life.

Why is it necessary to stay mentally fit?

Staying mentally fit is just as important as staying physically fit in today’s world. And they are both closely linked to one another.

For instance, an overweight young boy who is teased about his weight may withdraw socially and in turn be diagnosed with depression. He may be reluctant to play or interact with others. He may also refuse to eat and sleep properly. This would further contribute to his poorer physical health. In other words, mental well-being affects his physical health.

These issues, though might seem ignorable, have long-term implications for the ability of children to make use of their full potential.

Reasons Affecting Mental Well-being in Children

Several reasons affect the mental well-being of children. Most of these stem out of the ravishingly unscrupulous nature of today’s times. High expectations, digital inter-connectedness, and the pace of evolution, among others, make such issues quite commonplace. A few of the pivotal ones have been discussed in the paragraphs below:

Social Media Exposure:

Technology has been on the rise ever since the dawn of the internet. In today’s world, it has become more common for children to be using social media platforms. With the rise of children using such platforms, there has also been a rise in indiscriminate exposure to distressing news and content from around the globe. It has also become commonplace to get stuck in ‘toxic’ social situations on such social media platforms as well.

Cyberbullying is one of the misfortunes of such social media channels where the perpetrator may try to access protected information through entrapment, blackmail, and threats that affect the child’s social life at large.

Social media continues to remain one of the most popular ways of communication. And, it is also one of the most important reasons for children exhibiting signs of mental health issues. Social media has also been linked to over 1 million yearly suicides globally. Most of these deaths have been due to the ill effects of social media that hamper one’s mental well-being itself.

Economic Hardships:

A long period of economic hardship or a financial issue may also loom over the children. If families are in strife due to unemployment or financial strains, the entire family including the child is affected by this ordeal.

Children do not exist in a societal vacuum. More often than not, children who are drained due to economic hardships find it difficult to share their issues with adults in the family. And, even if they do, there is a good chance the adult members would keep the actual information from them. This leads to anxiety, stress, and depression in children.

These periods of financial hardships can happen to anyone and at any time. However, children must not face the brunt of this. It is so because children do not understand their mental health at par with adults. It is the adult’s responsibility to curtail the ill effects of the period on behalf of their children. Or, seek mental health guidance.

Collective Exhaustion:

Collective exhaustion is one of the most ignored reasons that may also affect your state of mental well-being. This is certainly true in most children of today’s day and age. The continuous piling up of stress induced by external factors, such as the current pandemic which has pushed people into unexpected economic and mental hardships, can also be a reason for budding mental disorders, especially in children.

Why is Treatment for Children a Difficulty?

It is tough to treat mental health issues in adults. But, it is much more difficult to diagnose and treat the same in children. The following paragraphs outline a few reasons why:

• Most children are unwilling to share the condition of their mental state of being which leads to them being missed out from mental health studies. They may also state dishonest information to hide or protect adult members in case of trauma-induced mental health issues.
• There is a considerable lack of pediatric psychiatrists in less populated and rural areas which barely have a physician. There is a lack of access in such areas where physicians are not adequately trained to deal with mental health disorders.
• Symptoms of the same disorder might differ for different people which makes it harder to diagnose. This is why it is always recommended that you seek professional mental well-being assistance.
• Most people do not have insurance that covers the cost of mental health treatment and psychotherapy. This is a huge challenge for the economically backward populace.
• Most people do not know how to recognize the symptoms of mental health disorders due to a lack of awareness. In some places, mental health is still stigmatized which leads them to ignore mental disorders to the largest extent possible. Children are especially vulnerable in such circumstances.

Why is Mental Health Highly Stigmatised?

Mental health is a relatively new and progressive field of study. Most people have various misconceptions regarding mental health disorders. They choose to ignore the importance of mental well-being which leads to acute stigmatisation.

There can be two main types of stigmatization that affect a child’s mental well-being-

• Public stigma- Public stigma is the reaction that society has to people with mental illness.
• Self-stigma- Self-stigma is the prejudice that people with mental illness turn against themselves.

Both public and self-stigma may be understood in terms of three components: stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. However, in children, the former is the major issue.

What can be done?

Although there are a lot of barriers in treating mental health problems to date, it is not something uncurable. A few common treatment options for children who have mental health conditions include:

• Psychotherapy: Psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy or behavior therapy, is a way to address mental health concerns by talking with a psychologist or other mental health professional. During psychotherapy, children and adolescents learn how to talk about thoughts and feelings, how to respond to them, and how to learn new behaviors and coping skills.
• Medication: Your child’s doctor or mental health professional may recommend a medication such as a stimulant, antidepressant, anti-anxiety medication, antipsychotic, or mood stabilizer as part of the treatment plan
• Tele-psychiatry: Telemedicine is the process of providing health care from a distance through technology, often using video conferencing. Telepsychiatry is a subset of telemedicine itself. It involves providing a range of services including psychiatric evaluations, therapy (individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy), patient education, and medication management.

How to Convince Your Parents?

Have you ever had a strange urge to share your thoughts with your parents? It’s always recommended that when you do have such an urge, you go ahead and clear your anxiousness directly without wasting any time. However, in India, mental health is taboo even today. And, it may not be easy for a child to share these thoughts with their parents. It is so because the parents, as most adults, refuse to believe the child on its merits. They either hear the child out as mere fantasy or fable or maybe the child just gets shunned away. In worse cases, a sudden storm of scolding follows.

All these apart, sharing your thoughts with your parents should be a regular exercise. It is the first step to convincing your parents in the future. The following are a few ways in which you can try and convince your parents about issues you are uncomfortable discussing with them:

• For starters, do not feel guilty about sharing your emotions and thoughts with your parents. Know that there is nothing wrong with asking for help when you genuinely need it. And, it’s your parents after all! It is important to keep in mind successful people are not those who do not have any problems, but those who are good at getting help.
• Choose a calm and comfortable environment to share with your parents. Try to not begin directly with what you are convincing them for. It is easier to talk about such incidents in the required manner if it is gently eased into the conversation. It is easier to talk about mental well-being when everyone is feeling comfortable.
• Don’t just narrate to them your idea, descriptively tell them. Spin a story around it and check how they react. It helps to know whether there is a storm incoming at the end of a discussion with your parents. Explain how you are feeling about the benefits of the thought. Say what you are having trouble with clearly and honestly.
• Don’t deviate or try to hide while explaining your thought. Don’t get carried away in your feelings as well. Take a deep breath if you think you need to regain composure anytime during the conversation.
• Don’t wait to talk about something you need help with. Go ahead and ask the important questions. Go ahead and talk to your parents. It is only by talking to them that you can convince them anyway. The sooner you ask for help, the sooner you’ll start feeling better, so don’t put the conversation off. You will be proud of yourself afterward.
• Try to tell them that going to therapy or reaching out is not a sign of weakness. It can be just like a scheduled meeting with your general physician nearby. Try to be mindful of it with your parents.
• Get professional help before talking to your parents about your condition. Start seeing a mental health expert today. This will prove to be helpful for your parents as well. It always helps to reach out to someone you can share your thoughts with without being judged before talking to your parents if you are nervous about their opinion.

Different mental conditions require different treatments. But, talking to your parents can be a start. It is after all the parent’s responsibility towards the child to help get better. If you are feeling anxious, it may be embarrassing to admit that things that seem easy are difficult, especially for you.

Maybe you already feel as if your parents are angry at you for not doing things the way they believe in. If you are feeling depressed, and you have withdrawn from your friends and peers, spending a lot of time in your room worrying that they do not understand. But the fact remains that it is a parent’s job to help you out and guide you through tough times in life.