Stop stigmatisation in preschool. The playground is where it all begins.

Children and young people experience stigmatization in a wide range of cultural, social, and political contexts. This includes care for experienced children, disabled children, refugees and asylum seekers, children of prisoners, children and young people with mental health issues, child and youth offenders, children affected by HIV/AIDs, and children in poverty. Children where one or both parents might have a stigma attached to them. 

There are so many layers to the problem of stigma. Some parents, hoping to avoid “labeling” their child, can contribute to the child’s sense of stigma. Secretive behaviour can lead a child to believe he or she has something to be ashamed of. Don’t tell anyone. No one needs to know. No one expresses these sentiments over things they feel positive about.

Compared to adults, children are subject to unique stigmatizing contexts that have not been adequately studied. The field needs conceptual frameworks that get closer to stigma experiences that are causally linked to how parents/caregivers cope with children’s emotional and behavioural problems such as seeking professional help. To further research in child mental illness, I suggest an approach to adapting current theoretical frameworks and operationalizing stigma highlighting three dimensions of stigma, three contexts of stigma (including institutions), and three targets of stigma (self/child, family, and services).

Three dimensions of stigma:

Stereotypes
Discrimination
Devaluation

Context: 

Self
General public
Institutional

Targets: 

Child
Family associates
Services
 

Relationship among child mental disorder stigma dimensions, contexts and targets.

In England, a quarter of 11-16-year-olds and nearly half of 17-19-year-olds (46.8%) with a mental disorder reported self-harming or attempting suicide at some point in their lives. For 11-16-year-olds, this represents a greater than eightfold risk compared to those without a mental health problem (25.5% compared to 3.0). 2

These statistics show just how big the problem is for young people in the UK. One in six children aged five to 16 were identified as having a probable mental health problem in July 2020, a huge increase from one in nine in 2017. That’s five children in every classroom.

This is according to a new report published by the NHS, which surveyed 3,570 young people aged between 5-22 living in England, in July 2020. They found that one in six children and young people were likely to have a mental health disorder, compared to one in nine in their 2017 survey.

Young people who likely had mental health disorders were more likely to have witnessed an argument between adults in their families. Among the 11 to 16-year-old girls surveyed, 63.8% of those likely to have a mental disorder had seen or heard an argument among adults in their home, compared with 46.8% of those unlikely to have a mental disorder. Children aged 5 to 16 years with probable mental disorders were more than twice as likely to live in a house that was falling behind on payments, than those who weren't. 

Of the children aged 5 to 16 years who likely had a mental disorder, around six in ten said they were getting regular support from their school or college, compared to 76.4% of those who were unlikely to have a mental disorder.

Are children and young people getting the mental health help they need?

Alarmingly, however, 75% of children and young people who experience a mental health problems aren’t getting the help they need. Children’s emotional well-being is just as important as their physical health.

If your child is demonstrating emotional or behavioural difficulties that interfere with their ability to function, seek help from someone trained in providing a mental health assessment for children. These evaluations are a critical first step in getting your child and family the support they need.

How can I Help my Child with mental health?

Child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) Across the UK, CAMHS is a free NHS service for children and young people that aims to help with mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, self-harm and eating disorders. Teachers, social workers, GPs and parents can refer a young person to CAMHS. Services differ from area to area.

Stigma ruins lives