Children's Mental Health Week

Children’s mental health charity Place2Be first launched Children’s Mental Health Week in 2015. Children’s Mental Health Week aims to shine a spotlight on the importance of children and young people’s mental health.

Did you know, around three children in every primary school class has a mental health problem? Whether you’re a parent, teacher or carer, it’s important to ask children how they’re feeling and to recognise the signs of depression or anxiety.

This year’s theme is ‘Find your Brave’ which is all about building confidence and self-esteem. Bravery isn’t just about coping with negative feelings, it’s about sharing worries and pushing boundaries.

What are the signs to look out for?

Stress, anger and worry are all normal things, everyone has an off day once in a while, but if your child is frequently feeling this way and struggling to cope, look out for the following signs:

• Sudden changes in behaviour
• Negative thoughts
• Low self-esteem
• Problems sleeping
• Irritable/angry mood
• Loss of appetite

How can you improve self-esteem in yourself and your child?

Parents and carers play an important part in a child’s mental health, to help build their self-esteem, you must boost your own first.

It can be difficult to think about your positives but having a balanced view of ourselves helps us to overcome difficult thoughts and make better connections with others.

• Challenge a negative thought about yourself with a positive one
• Set realistic goals
• Praise your child when they’ve done something good
• Show that you’re proud
• Point out other people’s positive qualities

Prevention

Unfortunately, mental illness is unpreventable and can be triggered by a number of different things; family history, traumatic experiences, brain damage from an injury, and many more.

There are a few things you can do to help a loved to cope with their mental illness:

Pay attention to warning signs

If you spot any of the signs, talk to your child or take them to a GP to find out what the triggers could be. This will help if your symptoms make an appearance. Talking to family members, partners or friends could be useful as well so they can also look out for any warning signs.

Take care of yourself and the whole family

Maintaining a daily/weekly routine can be very helpful, as well as healthy eating and regular exercise. Making sure your child is getting sufficient sleep is important too as it will help the body to recharge.

If you want to find out more about Children’s Mental Health Week, you can visit: www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk