It is Children’s Mental Health Week 2022, and if ever there was a time to address mental distress in our nation’s young people it is now. The statistics surrounding suffering and treatment are truly horrendous; there has been a 77% rise in the number of children needing specialist treatment for severe mental health crisis according to analysis from the BBC.
Dealing with mental ill health in childhood is so important for a healthy adult life. Around 75% of mental illness starts before the age of 18. And when mental ill health is the second-largest cause of burden of disease in England, we really need to do something about it as soon as it occurs. Or better still, prevent it from taking hold.
According to research highlighted by Mental Health First Aid, England, half of mental ill health starts by age 15. In addition, 12.8% of young people aged 5-19 meet clinical criteria for a mental health disorder. The percentage of young people aged 5-15 with depression or anxiety increased from 3.9% in 2004 to 5.8% in 2017. Also, 3.9% of 5–10-year-old children have an anxiety disorder, as did 7.5% of 11–16-year-olds and 13.1% of 17–19-year-olds. (See Mental health statistics · MHFA England.)
Whichever way we look at this, the figures are dire. As the BBC reported, 409,347 under-18s were referred to the NHS in England for specialist care for issues such as suicidal thoughts and self-harm between April and October 2021 and there were 349,449 under-18s in touch with NHS child and adolescent psychiatric teams at the end of October 2021 (see Children's mental health: Huge rise in severe cases, BBC analysis reveals - BBC News).
Experts doing the media rounds recently have made many suggestions to try to explain why this is happening. Policy decisions to cut services to children and families have been called into question, as has the uncertainty over education and exams during the pandemic. Young people themselves have their own stories which must be listened to. Experts seem clear, however, that measures to stop the transmission of Covid are not the culprit.
So, we know the situation needs urgent political action, but we can also take immediate action in our own sphere of influence. Here are ten simple ideas that just might help…
Ask the question
Are you OK? Normalise talking about feelings and being open and honest. Give them the language to articulate what they are feeling. Is it anger, fear, sadness, shame, anxiety etc.? Explore the language of feelings and how powerful it can be to properly name the feelings we have.
Not OK is OK
Make sure children know that it is OK not to be OK. Talk about the ups and downs of life and seeking help when it is needed. Help them to notice that small steps towards feeling better are always worth it and that these small steps can lead to us realising one day that we are in a better place mentally than we were.
Stay in the moment
Mindfulness can help children to be in the present moment. While it may not be so appropriate to ask children to focus on their breath as an adult may be able to do – and it is important to remember that mindfulness for children is not the same as mindfulness for adults – you can ask them to focus on the operational, for example, are your feet hot or cold?
Hold onto hope
Helping children to hold on to hope helps them to learn that whatever might be going on right now, things change and there is a future worth working towards. Talk about the future and help children to see themselves in their future. Encourage them to work towards goals they can reach in the immediate future.
Focus on solutions
Ask children what would make them feel better? What would make them happy? What changes do they need in their lives in order to ease the stress they are feeling? It may not be possible to address everything you are told, but you will be able to support and signpost.
Try something new
Help them to try something new. Bake a cake, try out a new art or craft technique, have a go at a new sport, read a new book; choose something that will inspire and motivate. Doing something new can be immensely refreshing, opening up possibilities and potential goals for the future.
Write it out
Journaling or diary writing can be very effective ways of recording our feelings and the ways in which we are changing over time. While some children may not take to literally writing things down, there are many other ways to journal such as making recordings, doing artwork, writing music and so on.
Nurture kindness
Kindness is always worth nurturing. The benefits can be tremendous and can help children and young people to have lived experience of feeling better themselves through the act of helping others.
Get outside
There is a growing body of research that the natural world can boost our wellbeing. Do as much outside as you possibly can. Make sure children and families know about open spaces in your locality that they can freely and easily access.
Commit to wellbeing long-term
Help children to understand that personal wellbeing or self-care is key to a happy, balanced life. Quick fixes are unlikely to be sustainable. This is a lifelong commitment and that’s great! The more we commit to wellbeing the greater depth of understanding we have about ourselves.
Find out more…
There is an immense amount of information to help schools support the mental health and wellbeing of the children in their care. These suggestions may help:
- Resources for Children’s Mental Health Week: Children's Mental Health Week (childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk)
- Place2Be: Children's Mental Health Week - Place2Be
- Mentally Healthy Schools: Growing together: Children’s Mental Health Week 2022 toolkit of resources: Mentally Healthy Schools
- Virtual assemblies for primary and secondary schools: Place2Be and BAFTA Kids reveal line-ups for Children's Mental Health Week 2022 virtual assemblies - Children's Mental Health Week (childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk)
About the author
Elizabeth Holmes
After graduating with a degree in Politics and International Relations from the University of Reading, Elizabeth Holmes completed her PGCE at the Institute of Education, University of London. She then taught humanities and social sciences in schools in London, Oxfordshire and West Sussex, where she ran the history department in a challenging comprehensive. Elizabeth specialises in education but also writes on many other issues and themes. As well as her regular blogs for Eteach and FEjobs, her books have been published by a variety of publishers and translated around the world. Elizabeth has also taught on education courses in HE and presented at national and international conferences.