EVALUATION: CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH IN CRISES

May thinks that adolescents transitioning into adulthood are the only ones that
could be diagnosed with mental health problems however recent research shows that
children as young as 3 years old could also suffer from mental health problems and it
worsened when the lockdown was declared because of the pandemic in all parts of the
world. When children are mentally healthy, they are able to reach their developmental
and emotional milestones, develop healthy social skills and learn to deal with problems.
If children are mentally healthy, they would have a positive quality of life and can
function well at home in school, or in communities. In contrast, according to CDC,
mental disorders among children occur when there are serious changes in the way
children typically learn, behave, or handle their emotions which causes distress and
problems getting through the day.

According to World Health Organization, among Filipino children aged 5 to 15, 10

to 15% are affected by mental health problems and 16.8 of Filipino students aged 13 -
17 have attempted suicide at least once a year before 2015. Moreover, according to the
National Statistics Office, mental health illnesses rank as the third most common form of
morbidity among Filipinos, and in the assessment conducted on the Philippine Mental
Health System, a prevalence of 16% of mental disorders among children was reported.
The statistics show that not only adolescents and adults could be diagnosed with mental
health disorders, but children could also be diagnosed with mental disorders. This
raises awareness among the parents that not only the physical health must be
prioritized but they should also look into the mental health of their children for without
early diagnosis and treatment, children can have problems at home, school, or in
forming relationships. If a child is displaying some disturbances in their mental aspect, it
could interfere child’s health development, causing problems that can continue until
adulthood. This fact also reminds the parents that in rearing their children, they have to
be observant of the aspects that compromise a child’s mental health to be able to refer
them to a mental help professional as early as possible. Having said this, what is the
role of parents and psychologists in dealing with children going through mental health
crises?

For parents, it is important to pay attention to their own mental health first
because a child’s healthy development is dependent on their parents as well as other
caregivers who play the role of the parents. They play a very important role as children’s
first source of support as they become independent toward a healthy and successful
life. If a parent has poor mental health, their child is at high risk of having poor mental
health as well. It is not easy to be a parent considering that they have the responsibility
of making sure that their children are both physically and mentally healthy, but this
serves as a reminder to spend time with their children despite their busy schedules at
work to know what is going on with their children. Psychologists especially children and
school psychologists play an important role because they could teach children coping
skills that are important for them to manage emotions while they are progressing
through each developmental stage which would be helpful in identifying abnormalities
later on. They can also help in the detection of identifying the main cause of behavioral
issues and help children in healing from their experienced childhood trauma. Given this,
what is the importance of looking into children’s mental health crises in the practice of
psychology in the Philippines?

Filipino parents should be aware that mental health disorders such as depression
or anxiety do not only happen to adolescents or adults, but children are no exception to
this. This awareness would lead to better addressing that would lead to an earlier
detection thus preventing the worst thing that could happen to their children. Some
parents think that their children just want to be rebellious or just want to seek their
attention but in reality, these actions want to communicate that they are going through
something, but they could not express it. In the field of psychology, it is important to look
into childhood mental crises because childhood is a crucial stage where most mental
health disorders begin, and constant effort must be made to identify early issues to be
given proper treatment to prevent negative health and social outcomes. Filipino children
are also susceptible to these disorders, these children are the hope of the future so
increasing awareness mental health of children in crises is a must, but it is still a work in
progress but with the help of psychologists and the field of psychology, promoting the
importance of children’s mental health among parents is not far from reality.