“FIX the broken child in you so you don’t break the child that came from you.” This is a quote I saw recently on social media, which immediately made me recall a more pointed comment made by a contributor at a Medical Conference held two Sundays ago at the University of Guyana.

During a discussion on mental health moderated by Psychotherapist, Shane Tull, a concerned parent argued, “The problem with them is us,” when airing her views on the role parents play in the mental health of their children.

Her remark came during lively debate in response to a question posed by Tull, who asked, “How are we taking care of ourselves?”

The consensus was that we as adults often do not deal with trauma we may have experienced as children. When we become parents, we then foist this ‘emotional baggage’ onto our children, while being ill-equipped to help them with their own issues.

The psychotherapist also referred to the “culture clash” which exists causing differing cultures to view mental health in different ways, while the stigma makes it harder for people to even admit they have a problem and seek help.

In addition, he advised that mental health must engage the entire population, particularly adolescents, making it a community issue that should involve social workers, teachers and competent professionals.

In light of the recent spate of attacks on teachers by pupils, all were agreed that ‘children must have their voice’ and be encouraged to discuss their emotional problems, but in a respectful manner.

However, this invariably means first talking with parents and the point was made that in differing households, the person with the most influence may not necessarily be the parents, or may only be one parent.

Tull recommended that teachers identify the “power broker” in the family and talk to that person, noting that, “…because of existing stigma minorities are sometimes left to find (their own) mental health solutions.”

Certainly, parents and concerned adults need to play an active and informed role in the lives of children, particularly during adolescence, which is defined as the “period following the onset of puberty during which a young person develops from a child into an adult.”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) describes this as a “unique and formative time and “a crucial period for developing social and emotional habits important for mental well-being.”
Usually associated with the teenage years, adolescence is a period of significant ‘upheaval’, when children are particularly susceptible to mental health conditions, which may range from anxiety to severe emotional disorders.

It is estimated that globally one in seven 10 – 19-year-olds experience mental health challenges, which remain largely unrecognised and untreated; this accounts for 13 per cent of what the WHO terms “the global burden of disease in this age group.”

Experts assert that while multiple factors affect mental health, the more risk adolescents are exposed to the greater will be the impact on mental health. Determinants include the quality of their relationship with their parents and peers, exposure to sexual and domestic violence, harsh parenting and severe socioeconomic problems.

Depression, anxiety and behavioural disorders are said to be among the leading causes of illness among adolescents and suicide is given as the fourth leading cause of death among 15 – 29-years-olds.

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the number of adolescents claiming poor mental health is growing and urged schools and parents to create protective relationships with students.

The group contends that young people with poor mental health “struggle with school grades, decision-making and their health” and are more likely to engage in drug use, high-risk sexual behavior and violence.

It all comes back to involvement of the community in the mental health of its citizens, particularly its adolescents, and the important dialogue that parents and ‘power brokers’ in families need to have with their teen and pre-teen children.

For, as the CDC declares, “Because many health behaviours and habits are established in adolescence that will carry over into adult years, it is important to help youth develop good mental health.”