Children's Mental Health Week 2022

Place2Be launched the first-ever Children's Mental Health Week in 2015, to raise awareness of mental health in children.

What is the theme behind Children's Mental Health Week 2022?

This year's theme for Children's Mental Health Week is Growing Together! But, what does that really mean? We're going to look into this further!

The Children's Mental Health Week website (childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk) has stated that this years theme Growing Together, is encouraging children (and adults) to consider how they have grown and how they can help others grow.

Growing together is about growing emotionally, and finding new ways to help each other grow.

Dr Alex George shares his growth story:

"I think a lot of the challenges I faced seemed overwhelming, I thought 'how am I going to get through this stuff?'. It was quite scary looking into the future."

Dr Alex didn't get into university the first time round, and he had to reapply one year later. He was devastated and had to face the fact he had failed to get into med school. Within a few days, he was assessed and felt he really wanted to get into med school, so he tried again! Due to this, throughout med school, he learnt so much and walked away with a distinction.

Learn to accept failure, and see it as a friend.

Is Mental Health really an issue in Children?

Yes! Let's share some facts, so you can understand the impact poor mental health is having on children.

• 1 in 6 children aged 5 to 16 was identified as having a probable mental health problem in July 2020.

• 1 in 3 mental health problems in adulthood is directly connected to an adverse childhood experience.

• Less than 1 in 3 children and young people with a diagnosable mental health condition get access to NHS care and treatment.

So, what can we do to help?

There are various ways we can help to support children and young people, and that starts with treating them right! Respect them, and take what they say honestly. The worst thing about being a child or young adult is having people not understand you, or take you seriously.

Ensure that they have someone that they can trust enough to talk to, whether this is a parent, a teacher, or another responsible adult.

Research. Look into signs, understand how you could bring up a conversation, and ensure they know that you are there for them when they need you.

Take Back Your Mind UK also think fondly of courses, if you're not in the current position where you need to help a child or young person, consider whether this is something that you may need to do in the future. Look at courses specifically aimed at Mental Health in Children or Young Adults. This is a great starting point to understand.

It's also great to get involved in the awareness weeks - such as Children's Mental Health Week. Dress to Express, share posts, fundraise, raise awareness and support those around you.

What are Take Back Your Mind UK doing for Children's Mental Health Week?

We're kickstarting this week the right way - Dress to Express - we've had some of our team send in photos that have appeared on our social media platforms!

We're also raising awareness on our social media platforms, by sharing facts, and encouraging people to think about their growth!

Regret will always haunt you more than failure.

Is there anything you didn't try when you were younger, that you wish you had? What advice would you give to your younger self, now?