CHILD AND ADOLESCENT
MENTAL HEALTH

Child and adolescent mental health is a major public health concern around the world, particularly in developing nations such as India. Children and adolescents account for almost 40% of the population of our country, which totals around 300 million people.

In people aged 10–19 years, mental health disorders account for 16% of the worldwide burden of disease and injury. In India, epidemiological and community-based research have found prevalence rates of 6–12%.

According to the National Mental Health Survey, 7.3 percent of children and adolescents aged 13 to 17 years have depression. In general, 8 to 13 percent of youngsters require mental health services. According to experts, the impact of Covid-19 will increase the prevalence of mental health morbidity in youngsters. In poor countries like India, there is a major treatment/service gap, as well as stigma.

Childhood mental health difficulties often have long-term consequences in adulthood. Future rise of mental health problems including depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders are among them. It has a negative impact on academic performance and adult functioning outcomes. The current challenges in this vulnerable age group, such as violence, aggressive behaviour, child safety/abuse, excessive use of devices, gaming disorders, and so on, require prompt public health attention. Enabling and empowering Primary Health Care services is a critical strategy for closing the treatment gap and overcoming treatment barriers. The bulk of parent and child-related psychosocial (non-pharmacological) therapies can be administered at the primary care level by qualified health care providers, according to World Health Organization recommendations.

Seek Therapy

Common Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Disorders

The common adolescent and child mental health issues may be broadly classified into three groups:

  • Neuro-developmental disorders: Speech and language related disorders, : Intellectual Developmental Disorder , Specific Learning Disorder Autism spectrum Disorder (ASD).
  • Emotional disorders: Anxiety spectrum disorders (generalized anxiety disorder ,Depression, somatoform disorders ,separation disorder, phobias), and conversion disorder.
  • Behavioral disorders: Op-positional disorders, Attention deficit hyperactivity Disorder and conduct disorders.

Impact on children's and adolescents' psychosocial environment

  • Due to the pandemic, children and adolescents are also facing a dynamic shift in their surroundings. Mirroring family’s response and coping behaviors to pressures such as financial strain, lack of social support, and physical health concerns are only a few of the key alterations.
  • Due of information overload from numerous sources, children may exaggerate and catastrophize the current pandemic condition.
  • Changes in eating and sleep patterns, as well as disruptions in daily routine
  • Isolation and loneliness as a result of a lack of peer companionship
  • As a substitute for outdoor enjoyment, people are relying more on digital devices, virtual gaming, and substance abuse.
  • Learning loss as a result of disruptions to academic activity in school. Children and adolescents from low-income homes are likely to be disproportionately affected, resulting in greater rates of obesity.

Suggestions for parents to support Adolescents and children's mental health in Home settings:

  • Teaching children appropriate coping techniques – promote open dialogues to assuage their worries, model serenity and positive behaviors around children, and deal with your own emotions responsibly as children absorb signals from adults around them.
  • Spend quality time with your children: by engaging in things that you previously didn’t have time for, such as board games, exercising together, and so on.
  • Establishing and maintaining a daily routine: for children and adolescents that includes enough time for chores, academic work, play, and interaction with peers and relatives, as well as meal, physical exercise, and sleep schedules.
  • Set time limits for screen time usage with reasonable exceptions: strive to set time limits for screen time usage with reasonable exceptions. To supervise consumption, there must be monitoring.
  • When dealing with your own emotions, avoid unhealthy coping mechanisms (such as shouting, displacing anger, substance usage, aggression, damaging objects, or attempting to damage yourself) because children often emulate these maladaptive coping ways.
  • Make use of this time to teach them life skills.
  • If you see substantial changes in your child’s behavior, such as recurrent reassurance-seeking, appearing worried all of the time, sleep and appetite issues, tears, etc., seek help from a mental health expert.
Seek Therapy