It’s been quite a while since I sat and wrote here. Sometimes life throws a curve ball and you have to take time to sort it out. This past year has been a concentration on mental health – mine, my children, my partner. We are all working to manage our mental health crises and day-to-day functioning better. Coping strategies, toxic relationships, radical acceptance, family meetings, in-patient hospitalizations, black and white thinking, partial hospitalizations, day programs, substance use/abuse, these have all become common vernacular to me now. And I realize I am not alone – there is a growing multitude of parents who are learning these terms and living daily with children that are not able to cope and function in the society around us.
What better topic to write on as I venture back into the land of my professional life. Let’s look at some statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
· 13% of children 8-15 have a diagnosable mental disorder during the school years.
· One in ten youth have a disorder severe enough to impair how they function in the home and community.
· Just 50% of children with mental disorders received treatment in the last year.
· Half of all lifetime cases of mental disorders begin before age 14.
· 9.4% of children aged 2-17 (approximately 6.1 million) have received an ADHD diagnosis.
· 7.4% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 4.5 million) have a diagnosed behavior problem
· 7.1% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 4.4 million) have diagnosed anxiety.
· 3.2% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 1.9 million) have diagnosed depression.
· Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth 12-24 years old.
Depression and anxiety have increased over time
“Ever having been diagnosed with either anxiety or depression” among children aged 6–17 years increased from 5.4% in 2003 to 8% in 2007 and to 8.4% in 2011–2012.
“Ever having been diagnosed with anxiety” increased from 5.5% in 2007 to 6.4% in 2011–2012.
“Ever having been diagnosed with depression” did not change between 2007 (4.7%) and 2011-2012 (4.9%)
Reading these statistics doesn’t shock me, but I am greatly saddened. Add to this the crisis of opioid and drug use among teens and it’s no wonder that our schools are time bombs.
According to the CDC “Mental health in childhood means reaching developmental and emotional milestones, and learning healthy social skills and how to cope when there are problems” With that as the definition of what health is I’m left with so many questions. What are we doing wrong? What are we doing right? When there is a breakdown in any of this, what can we do to bridge the divide between mental illness and mental health? There are many smarter and more knowledgeable people than me studying this and I won’t pretend to be an expert.
I did do something professionally that changed my entire perspective on behaviors this past year. Beyond learning the statistics and vernacular, improving and utilizing coping strategies, better defining boundaries, refining my communication skills; I attended Svetlana Masgutova’s class on Stress Hormones and Trauma. The deeper understanding of our bodies stress response system completely changed my view on the meltdowns and breakdowns our kiddos are having. By intervening on the hormonal level we can reduce breakdowns and repair the ability to regulate. I’m hopeful that using reflex patterns and techniques aimed at releasing the protective stress response as well as increasing chemicals from the parasympathetic system like dopamine, serotonin and GABA can make substantial differences in the mental health of our youth. And not just our youth, we as parents need to support our own mental health and wellbeing. When an individual in a family system struggles with mental illness, stress increases for all family members.
If you or someone you know seems to being having difficulty navigating daily life, seek help. Talk to your family doctor about the symptoms you notice and they will help you navigate the next steps. Here are some organizations that can help you better understand what is happening and connect you with information and resources.