Examining Depression Amongst Children

Published: 2020-08-26
Views: 571
Author: jordan96
Published in: Depression

The term ‘mental health’ has often created negative connotations amongst society. The World Health Organisation positively state that mental health is about an individual’s well-being and how they react to everyday stresses that may occur (WHO, 2014). McDougall (2011) assesses the misconceptions of mental health needs and mental problems being the same. To fully understand the broadness of the term, a helpful concept is that of a continuum, mental health at one end and severe mental illness at the other, this view is supported by Mental Health First Aid England; it is essential to understand that there is a clear distinction between mental health and mental illness and it should not be confused, everyone has a mental health whether it is positive or negative, however poor mental health can lead to a mental illness – a diagnosable condition (MHFA, 2018). Walker (2011, p. 54) reports “recent evidence indicates that 10 per cent of children up to the age of 18 years in Britain have a diagnosable mental health disorder”, Musgrave (2017) views diagnosing mental health disorders in children as difficult, as children’s behaviours and attitudes can vary over time, and miseducation and stigma can affect upon a child having an accurate diagnosis. 

In the field of mental health and well-being, various definitions of the term stigma are found. Early knowledge of stigma was identified as people suffering from mental distress and having their identify shunned by societal attitudes (Goffman, 1963). Furthermore, Wahl (1995) acknowledged that people with poor mental health were subjected to labelling, and Bloch & Singh (1997) recognised mental disorders as the most stigmatised condition. According to Link & Phelan (2001), stigma arises when people with mental illnesses are physically and mentally excluded and face negative labelling. Similarly, Pavord (2014) mentions, due to stigma being attached to ‘mental health’, those who suffer from a mental illness are more at risk of rejection and less likely to seek help for their disorder, this view is similarly supported by Andrade, et al (2014) who indicates that lack of knowledge can cause an increase in stigma too. For young children and adolescents, stigma has been proven to affect peer relationships and their time at school (Time to Change, 2015). Pilgrim (2017) emphasises, stigma as the consequence of stereotyping a person and reinforcing the negative characteristics that they may have, furthermore the term ‘stigmatisation’ is identified as person related, where the individual is stigmatised due to a stereotype, and the stereotype has harmful associations. Together these studies indicate that stigma has a huge contribution to mental health disorders being undervalued, and the misconceptions caused by stigma can have a detrimental effect not only on the individual but mental health services and society too.

As indicated previously, stigma has a profound effect on peoples ideology of mental health and how people with a mental disorder are treated. However, alongside stigma, prejudice and discrimination occur too. Barber (2012) commented that coverage of mental health by the press contributes towards stigma and assumptions. Additionally, Kay & Howlett (2008) address that the increased ignorance and public stigma that is often connected with mental health problems can intensify attitudes towards mental health, and this can result in individuals being socially rejected.

For Webb & Tossell (1999) the term prejudice refers to a strong opinion being formed without prior knowledge being considered. However, Pavord, et al (2014) suggest that prejudice is constructed from stereotypes, and stereotyping is built on negative assumptions based on physical, cultural, or religious attributes. An example of a stereotype would be; ‘boys don’t cry’, however a statement like this can be extremely damaging for young or adolescent boys to hear, as they are often discouraged from expressing emotion, yet suicide is the most common cause of death amongst men (Burton, 2014^a). Together with stigma and prejudice, discrimination is another issue faced amongst those who suffer from a mental disorder. According to Thompson (2006) the term discrimination involves physically degrading a person or group, yet Pavord, et al (2014) identifies that discrimination can either be positive or negative. The evidence reviewed here, suggests how prejudice and discrimination impact towards mental health awareness. Prejudice and discrimination arise from a lack of knowledge and miseducation on a subject, in terms of mental health and well-being prejudice and discrimination amongst children can lead to fear of being ridiculed and being afraid to speak out emotionally to professional services.