Children And Mental Health ?

[Bobbisox1]

This in no way knocking the fact it’s happening because it is but I can never remember as a child myself ,anyone ever suffering from it or did we just ‘get on with it’? and yes I’m certain that that’s because it’s recognised now too ,what causes this in such young people I wonder, no link , it’s a small clip on Sky news

[Redhelen72]

My niece is 12 years old, good home life, good school etc and she has started self harming.
She has been attending therapy to help where she let it slip that she wished she was dead because she feels useless .
That is no way for a 12 year old to feel

[choux]

That is so sad to read, helen.

[Redhelen72]

I think it’s terrifying choux.
Think back to my own childhood and friends I believe mental health issues were there but not recognised or not accepted and ignored instead of helping

[pat2604]

I agree with you Choux.

[pastafreak]

Mental health...both good and bad ...has always been with us. Just how we view it and treat it has changed...and quite possibly the form it takes also.
In the past, children were thought to be possessed by mass hysteria or demons during witch hunts, or sent to places like Bedlam where those who were troubled were stared at rather than cared for. Family troubles would be swept under the carpet so that no one knew...hopefully.
Maybe Media and social media is to blame in putting it in the news, and something we all know exists...this is compounded by knowing way more about the state of the world and society than any of us knew only 50 years or so ago. How do we protect our children from those stresses?

[choux]

Would this 9 year old have swallowed the magnets had he never heard of tiktok?
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/boy-swallowed-magnets-tiktok-challenge-b1920659.html

I can only see that such media concentrating on the young and vulnerable is fraught with danger.

[pat2604]

I have to admit that I seriously think the state of the world is awful now and I'm glad to be the age I am and lived through better days. I sound like the old lady I am. I can't see things getting better.

[jennyjoan]

Barsel, not that it matters - one was a boy the other attempt was a girl.

As Anne has said - you can't see Mental Health but the girl I quoted earlier is quite bad. Won't go to work, won't mix, won't go out, but even when you chat to her - she just barely answers (like always with fear - it is anxiety) - just terrified of the outside world.

Helen I am sorry to hear of your niece - what is her wee mind like at 12 years old. Heartbreaking actually.

[barry1010]

My nephew was born 55 years ago. When he was 7 he disappeared in to an institution and his parents were allowed to visit once a month. I don't remember him going home as a child. He is autistic although I don't think he was diagnosed until he was an adult.

In those days children (and adults) who had physical or mental health problems were often hidden away in these institutions, now they are mostly kept at home and in mainstream schools. Some families saw these relatives as an embarrassment and weren't often mentioned, hidden away from home and society.


I have no doubt that there have always been children with mental health illnesses including depression. In 1997 249 children aged between 10 and 19 committed suicide in the UK; 191 in 2003; in 2015 there was 200. The vast majority, around 75%, are boys.

I think it is a positive step that mental health is talked about so openly and children are more easily able to access help for their problems. There is no shame in it, no matter how old or young you are.

[choux]

I know, Lottie. How does one measure "progress" or even define it? Everything has its cost.

[pastafreak]

Didn't the royal family have a child that was hidden away? He was an epileptic if I'm not mistaken.
I just googled...and there have been others. This is sad...

https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/queen-cousins-true-story-nerissa-katherine-bowes-lyon-the-crown-what-happened-758046

[Barsel]

JJ, that young girl still needs some kind of help before she gets any worse.
Problem is, it's very difficult to get help these days because of Covid and one thing or another. Not enough therapists etc.

[Barsel]

Thank goodness children are not hidden away in institutions like they once were.

[fender62]

i dont see children rifing bikes much anymore or climbing trees or skateboarding or roller skating, as was mentioned a smartphone glued to there ear ot texting the person right next to them, i guess they only socialise in school, phones, games consoles, social media etc, and i read they exchange nude photos with eachother...what the.....

[Redhelen72]

Yes some do and some don’t I would suggest it’s a minority though

[tiggerblue10]

I agree with Helen, Pasta and Barry. Little Tigs was diagnosed with autism and ADHD when he was around 4/5 and he has delayed development. The school he goes to has a special room for children who are under SEN.

When I was at school the word 'thicko' was used a lot or other words to that effect. A friend of mine who is 52 was diagnosed with autism 2 years ago.

[pastafreak]

Fender...they do all of those things by me. I can always here shouting, playing when the weather is good.

[fender62]

pastafreak, only thing i hear is neighbors kids in there gardens, never out bicycling and other things i mentioned, maybe it's just where i live.

[rowanwitch]

I was first treated for depression aged 11, ( in the late 1960s) I had a lot of body image issues, low level self harm, developed obsessions with different things, couldn't cope with cleaning my teeth ( makes me gag even now and still freak at the texture of most toothpastes). Couldn't touch some fabrics etc. I didn't develop normal social skills as I couldn't pick up the cues most people respond to automatically. Now at 64 I have a lifetime of battling to cope with depression and anxiety. A few month ago a therapist suggested I might have Aspergers. Waiting for a formal assessment, it won't change anything but might explain everything, most of all my failure to fit in and deal with social situations.

[Bobbisox1]

Rowan that’s terrible that there was no network to recognise your symptoms, I do hope you get the assessment you want that perhaps puts the pieces together for you