Youth Mental Health
Mental Health in Early Childhood
Early childhood mental health is a young child’s ability to: experience, express and regulate emotions form close and secure interpersonal relationships explore the environment and learn all in the context of family, community and cultural expectations for young children. Keeping children happy and healthy involves looking after their mental health as well as their physical…
Read MoreSupport for Friend who Drinks Too Much
It is very important to look out for your mates. What we put into our body can have a massive effect on our mind, and cutting back on alcohol and other drug use can really boost our mood. You must support a friend, relative or someone you are mentoring if alcohol and other drugs are…
Read MorePeer Pressure During Teenage Years: Making Good Decisions
Wanting to be more like your friends is a normal part of being a teenager. Peer influence or peer pressure is not always a bad thing, but sometimes it might be a concern for you or your child. When you choose to do something, you would not otherwise do because you want to feel accepted…
Read MoreHelping Your Child with Mental Health Problems
When a child or adolescent has a mental health problem it can affect the whole family, because they usually have difficulty controlling their behavior, thinking or emotions. Mental health problems in children can be expressed through angry, disruptive or hyperactive behavior or through withdrawal, worry, and emotional responses. Hyperactive behavior can be described like very…
Read MoreYouth Mental Health and SCHIP
The US has the highest rate of abuse and incarceration of all the Western Nations. It looks like the rates of violence and homicide in US cities are on the rise. What may we do to stem the wave of children growing up to become criminal and violent in their own families and their communities?…
Read MoreYoung People and Self-esteem
While we all have self-doubts at times, it is important for children to feel okay about themselves most of the time. Healthy self-esteem is feeling good about yourself, and feeling that you are a worthwhile person. Self-esteem is how you feel about yourself as a person and knowing that there are things that you can…
Read MoreBuilding Good Mental Health
Early support children and young people to look after their mental health and wellbeing are really important. Good mental health habits during adolescence provide a solid foundation for positive mental health in the future. While they go through puberty and the stage of development called adolescence young people deal with many changes. Changes in the…
Read MoreAdolescence: A Period of Changes
Adolescence is a tricky period of existence, which presents developmental challenges across the emotional, physical, and social dimensions of the lives of young people. Most adolescents have a very self-critical eye, and they can be absolutely focused on their physicality. They have a hyper-interest in how they are being perceived and ‘judged’ by others. This…
Read MoreYoung People, Alcohol and Illegal Drugs
Many parents worry about whether their son or daughter is using illegal drugs and what they should do about it, but it is important to know that most harm to young people comes from using legal substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and medicines. More young people are involved in violence, are hospitalized or die from…
Read MoreCommon Youth Mental Disorders
Major depressive disorder – the key feature is the presence of either depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure or being grouchy, irritable and in a bad mood. Symptoms of a major depressive disorder may include significant weight change, loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping, and restlessness, loss of energy, fatigue, feeling of worthlessness and inability…
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