Children's Mental Health Is About YOU and ME

So, you think Children’s Mental Health is not about you? : 

So, you think Children’s Mental Health is not about you?

79% of these children do not receive mental health care : 

79% of these children do not receive mental health care Look around the average classroom In a class of 40 that’s EIGHT Classmates Over 60 years ago the BMJ reported an association between mental illness and poor physical health. Subsequent research, in many countries, has consistently confirmed that psychiatric patients have high rates of physical illness, much of which goes undetected. One in five American children have a mental disorder

Still think Children’s Mental Health is not about you? : 

Still think Children’s Mental Health is not about you?

In so many schools, kids with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges are still poorly understood and treated in a way that is completely at odds with what is now known about how they came to be challenging in the first place. The frustration and desperation felt by teachers and parents is palpable. Parents know there's trouble at school, know they're being blamed, feel their kids are being misunderstood and mistreated, but feel powerless to make things better and are discouraged and put off by their interactions with school personnel.” : 

In so many schools, kids with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges are still poorly understood and treated in a way that is completely at odds with what is now known about how they came to be challenging in the first place. The frustration and desperation felt by teachers and parents is palpable. Parents know there's trouble at school, know they're being blamed, feel their kids are being misunderstood and mistreated, but feel powerless to make things better and are discouraged and put off by their interactions with school personnel.” Dr. Ross Greene, author of The Explosive Child. “The wasted human potential is tragic.”

Anxiety disorders, mood disorders (depression), and disruptive disorders (attention deficit and hyperactivity) are the most common mental issues among children. : 

Anxiety Disorders are the most common, affecting children aged 9-17. Anxiety disorders, mood disorders (depression), and disruptive disorders (attention deficit and hyperactivity) are the most common mental issues among children. More than 6% of children are estimated to have some form of mood disorder, and 4% are estimated to have a disruptive disorder. “As a society we seem to be more afraid of this child, rather than wanting to help him”

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About 9% of children ages 9 to 17 are affected by a serious emotional disturbance that causes severe functional impairment. One out of every eight adolescents with a mental illness has a substance abuse problem. Less than 60% are appropriately diagnosed. These youth often are incarcerated, rather than treated.

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Untreated youth have high rates of suicide, medical problems, homelessness, unemployment, incarceration, truancy, difficulty concentrating in school or focusing attention on tasks at home, at part-time work or during extracurricular activities, and poor peer and parental relations Treating youth with co-occurring disorders is $29, 057 while the average cost of treating youth for either a mental illness or substance abuse disorder is $13, 067

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Youth with co-occurring disorders often are incarcerated, rather than treated. Approximately 93,000 young people are held in juvenile justice facilities across the United States. Seventy percent of these youth are held in state-funded, post adjudication, residential facilities, at an average cost of $240.99 per day per youth. Or $ 87,961.35 per year. . Youth recidivism rates are often at 50 percent or higher for individuals who remain in secure facilities. As many as 50 to 70 percent of youth who were previously in residential placement facilities were rearrested within two years of their release spend another $87,961.35 maybe he’ll snap out of it.

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Barriers to Meeting Needs Fragmented delivery system.  The health care system is fragmented, with different delivery systems and separate funding and administration for public mental health and substance abuse services.  The lack of coordination between education, juvenile justice and child welfare systems further complicates the process of securing services for children with co-occurring disorders. Gaps in public and private insurance coverage.  Health plans continue to limit coverage for mental health and substance abuse treatment, ensuring that many American children will not have access to medically necessary, essential health services.

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Barriers to Meeting Needs Insufficient knowledge.  Little is known about effective services for co-occurring disorders in children and adolescents and often substance abuse and mental health service programs designed for adults do not meet the needs of children. Punishment instead of treatment.  Youth with co-occurring disorders often are incarcerated, rather than treated.  Two-thirds of the one million youth in formal contact with the justice system (i.e., charges and/or court appearance) have one or more alcohol, drug, and mental disorders. It’s a Mad World

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It’s a Mad World Stigma is the Greatest Barrier Studies have shown that stigma is the greatest barrier to children and youth with mental health needs and their families seeking help “Children with depression or ADHD and their parents not only face the challenge of an illness, but may confront the stigma that accompanies treatment and social rejection” According to the first-ever national study to examine Americans' views of mental health issues in children.

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Join us February 23th – 25th 2011 in San Diego Together we can learn what each of us may do Children’s Mental Health Is about EVERYONE! Together we learn about new efforts to diminish the barriers of stigma. Become a champion, register today for the conference; call (619) 546-5852 Together we will become champions in order to shift societal culture from one that inhibits. To a culture where all children thrive and are made to feel good, like every child should.

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All Children deserve to know acceptance Become a champion, register today for the conference; call (619) 546-5852 ARE YOU A CHAMPION? Share what you and/or your community is doing to overcome Stigma – Discrimination and Disparities On our blog Together with knowledge and community we can stop the LIE, Our LIE is our need to LABEL, which gives way for us to ISOLATE and EXCLUDE. We all do it to our self, our peers and those that seem different. Yet we all know to be healthy, safe and thriving we need to feel acceptance.  Lets work together to stop the LIE and shift our culture to one where all children thrive and are made to feel good, like every child should. http://letsstopthelie.wordpress.com