Often overlooked, mental health is a crucial aspect of a healthy childhood. Understanding emotions and developing effective coping strategies are essential milestones in a child’s social and emotional development. Mental wellness doesn’t simply mean the absence of a mental health disorder. It involves children being able to manage emotions, develop, and sustain a quality of life that includes everything from friendships to sports to family relationships. During the exciting first weeks of a new school year, parents have a valuable opportunity to tune in to their child’s mental health.
With support from caring adults who create safe spaces to talk about feelings and how to cope with stress, most children will continue to grow and develop in a healthy manner. “Like adults, children can have good days, bad days, angry days and sometimes, days with a mix of emotions,” said CenCal Health Medical Director Patty Auchard, MD. She suggests these conversation starters for parents: What went well today, what didn’t go so smoothly today? Who are you playing with at recess? Who did you eat lunch with? What’s happening this week on social media? Who is your best friend?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the most common childhood disorders are attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), behavior problems, anxiety, and depression. Many children may exhibit symptoms of these disorders from time to time. However, children with a mental health disorder typically experience these symptoms persistently and for a prolonged period. These symptoms cause significant distress or impairment in their ability to function and cope with daily activities and stress. Among adolescents aged 12-17 years in 2018-2019 reporting on the past year, 36.7% had persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, 15.1% had a major depressive episode, and 18.8% seriously considered attempting suicide.
“Each illness has its own symptoms, but common symptoms could range from excessive worry or fear, difficulties sleeping, and tendencies to isolate,” said Auchard. “It’s important to notice changes in mood, behavior, eating and sleeping. These changes might indicate that your child needs support. Always take any talk about safety or self-harm seriously.”
As the school year approaches, CenCal Health – the local Medi-Cal health plan for both Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties – encourages parents or guardians to take time to consider their children’s emotional health and if they have concerns, to contact their child’s primary care provider. Families can also check out the following online mental health resources, available in both English and Spanish:
Learn More About Childhood Disorders (Website:cdc.gov/health topics)
Learn More About Therapy and How it Helps Children with Mental Health Disorders (Website:cdc.gov/health topics)
More information on CenCal Health is available at cencalhealth.org and on Facebook and LinkedIn
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