Recently a new survey commissioned by our friends at @MQmentalhealth has highlighted parents’ fears on mental health. The results report that two-thirds of parents are concerned that if their children developed a mental-illness during childhood there’s not enough of the right support available. The research also highlights valid worries concerning that mental-ill children may not be able to secure a job, find a partner, be put into care full-time or have a family as a result of their condition, in later life.
A survey of 2,061 adults, including 500 parents, found that 67% of parents believe their child may never recover from being diagnosed with mental illness. The survey was commissioned by MQ – Transforming Mental Health to find out if the parents think that the support is there and where there a knowledge gaps too.
The results have renewed concerns about how well equipped NHS children’s and adolescent mental health services are to deal with the growing number of young people experiencing problems such as acute anxiety.
About one in 10 children and young people aged five to 16 have been diagnosed with a mental disorder. The commonest conditions are conduct disorder (5.8%), anxiety (3%), hyperkinetic disorder (1.5%) and depression (0.9%), according to Office for National Statistics data from 2004.
Mark and Claire say: We work in schools with young people with mental health problems through our self-esteem courses and see first hand the reality of young people struggling to cope with so many mental health issues that schools cannot cope in supporting them. Love Young People also agrees and acknowledges that there aren’t enough resources to support young people growing up and this will only get worse as government funding has been dramatically cut over the last few years. We will reap what we sow.