Since the holiday, the number of minors coming to the hospital for treatment of mental health issues has increased significantly. At Beijing Anding Hospital, even after noon, there are still many child and adolescent patients waiting for their appointments.
Statistics show that in our country, at least 30 million children and adolescents under the age of 17 are facing emotional or behavioral issues, manifested as decreased learning efficiency, poor interpersonal relationships, excessive anxiety and rebellion, and being addicted to short videos and online games.
As the future of the motherland, why are mental health issues becoming increasingly severe for children? What should we do if children have mental health problems? How can we help children grow up healthy and happy?
Why are mental health problems becoming serious?
Behind the increasingly serious mental health issues among minors, there are often multiple factors such as family, social, academic pressure, and competition pressure working together. Among these, the family is one of the profoundly influential factors.
The “2022 National Depression Blue Book” mentioned that for adolescent depression patients, the family environment is the primary factor that leads them into depression. 63% of student patients feel harsh/control, neglect/lack of care, and conflict/family violence at home.
In single-parent families, children lack the care of both parents, cannot enjoy the love and joy they deserve. Some children from divorced families, due to parents forming new families, experience neglect and discrimination, their young minds unable to feel the warmth of a family.
Some families are excessively strict towards children, resorting to scolding or hitting for any problems, some even kick children out or use more harsh methods, causing significantly negative impacts on children’s mental health.
Some families overly spoil children, indulging their every whim, fostering their willfulness and unruliness, while also lacking independent living skills, leading to difficulties in adapting to society.
For normal families, most parents tend to focus extensively on their children’s physical growth, intellectual development, and material satisfaction, often emphasizing children’s intelligence and academic performance, neglecting their children’s psychological growth and ignoring their emotional needs.
Moreover, adolescence is the period when children’s physical and mental changes are most rapid and evident. During this time, children’s bodies, behavior patterns, self-awareness, interactions, and emotional characteristics gradually mature. These rapid changes can cause children to experience confusion, low self-esteem, insecurity, anxiety, and other mental health issues.
At the same time, increasing academic and competitive pressures, peer pressure, lack of face-to-face social interactions, and other factors can trigger mental health problems in minors.
In such situations, many minors, lacking companionship, find it hard to find happiness, and begin to indulge in self-destructive behaviors, giving up on studies, seeking escape in the online world, and even spending whole days immersed in short videos and games. Even at the hospital, many children visiting for appointments continue to play with their smartphones incessantly.
What should we do if a child develops mental health problems?
When a child experiences mental health issues, the first thing parents should do is take them to a professional hospital for treatment. Only in this way can the child receive timely treatment and avoid further worsening of mental health problems.
If a child’s mental health issues are mild, without hallucinations, delusions, or severe impairment in social functioning, they can initially seek outpatient treatment at the psychiatric or psychological department of a general hospital.
In comparison, the psychiatric or psychological outpatient departments of specialized hospitals mainly deal with individuals with severe mental disorders, serious social impairments, and those who cannot recognize their own illness.
Of course, merely taking the child to the hospital is far from enough once they have mental health problems. Because mental health issues in minors often reflect issues within the family. The family’s issues often manifest in children.
As a key influencer in the mental health development of minors, positive family interactions can shape a child’s sense of security and independence, forming their psychological self for healthy development. Additionally, families can resist external pressures, protect children from stressful events, or alleviate stress responses.
Therefore, parents should strive to create a healthy, warm, and harmonious family environment, changing poor parenting practices, avoiding scolding, sarcasm, mockery, and instead fostering communication, guidance, encouragement, helping children build confidence.
As parents, it is also essential to pay attention to children’s feelings and emotions, try to see things from their perspective. Parents themselves should maintain a positive attitude, become role models for children, positively influence their emotions and behaviors. When children face troubles, they can confide in family, friends, or teachers, releasing stress.
Regarding children’s addiction to short videos and games, children engage in these activities because they lack other sources of joy. When parents help children find alternative sources of happiness, they naturally won’t indulge in short videos and games anymore.
Parents can encourage children to explore other interests and hobbies, such as cleaning, organizing their room, reading, drawing, etc. For parents with means, enrolling children in summer camps, art classes, and similar activities can introduce children to higher-level joys. After experiencing these higher-level joys, children naturally won’t be engrossed in videos and games.
Of course, solving mental health problems in minors cannot rely solely on parents. Schools, the community, and various institutions should also make efforts to address mental health issues in minors.
For schools, focusing on minors’ education is not enough; they should also pay attention to their social interactions, identifying potential issues early. Patience is key in handling children; avoid constant criticism, blame, or resorting to physical punishment.
Regularly conducting mental health seminars for children, adolescents, and parents at schools can aid in early detection and intervention for psychological issues. If the school’s mental health teachers can identify and intervene with emotionally troubled children in a timely manner, communicate effectively with them, this intervention can sometimes be very effective in reducing the incidence of depression and other mental disorders.
Only when families, schools, medical facilities, and society work together can they create a protective barrier for minors, safeguarding our children.
