More than one million children in the UK are suffering from mental disorders severe enough to require treatment, doctors say. That's one in ten!
Rising divorce rates, increased drinking among young people and competitive pressures are among the factors behind the trend, with both sexes and all social classes affected. But...wait for it... "a shortage of specialists" and widespread "stigmatisation" of those with mental problems means many children are denied help or face long waits for treatment. So says a report by the British Medical Association's Board of Science, published yesterday, which alleges that one in 10 children between the ages of one and 15 had a mental health disorder - ranging from sleep problems to excessive temper tantrums and depression.
Total liberal rubbish! This is the BMA lobbying for more jobs for the boys and for more public money to be poured in its direction. If rising divorce rates are the problem, let's make divorce a lot harder to obtain. If increased drinking is the problem, let's restrict pub opening times. If competitive pressures are the problem - let's all work in the Public Sector. This is just so much self-serving gibberish from the BMA. They should be ashamed of themselves for this political lobbying in the name of medical science.
I think we DO have a sick society and I think your ideas about tackling the causes rather than the symptoms are spot on David.
Posted by: Madradin Ruad | June 21, 2006 at 09:58 AM
church. national service. 2 parent home. boys brigade.football.
Posted by: jaun | June 21, 2006 at 02:34 PM
This is total rubbish. Children in former times faced much more harsh living conditions and were called upon to deal with the realilties and difficulties of adulthood at a younger age. These are phantom diagnoses to a larger problem - that children are actually indulged more than they've ever been before. When you have responsibilities that you are expected to maintain in school and in the home, you don't have time for alcoholism. When you aren't spoilt with lavish allowances, you don't have money for booze and drugs. When your parents don't respond by caving in to childish demands, you learn very quickly that tantrums are useless. The number of children that legitmately suffer from these sorts of illnesses are true but RARE when their parents are not somehow complicit in the bad behavior. Cut the coddling and start preparing these children for the challenges of adulthood without romanticizing their innocence and entitlement to a lifetime of joy without suffering or consequence and you'll notice a great deal of them will be much better adjusted.
Posted by: Emily | June 21, 2006 at 04:22 PM
Sorry but there seems to be contradictory messages coming out here. If childhood problems are due to divorce alcohloism "lavish" allowances etc then surely there is more of all that than there used to be. How can anyone know how rare this is. Loke most things it is undereported and not the sort of thing that families ten to put on those family letters that get sent 'round a Christmas when we get told about Johhny's new rabbit Mary's A' levels and Marcus's delight at the removal of his teeth brace.
Posted by: aileen | June 21, 2006 at 04:31 PM
"When you have responsibilities that you are expected to maintain in school and in the home, you don't have time for alcoholism."
Emily - I will disagree on that point. Anyone can become an alcoholic. It doesn't matter a jot what their circumstances are. When an individual becomes an alcoholic nothing else matters as much as their nest drink.
Posted by: Colm | June 21, 2006 at 04:35 PM
Colm,
Rubbish. I understand, and trust me on this - all too @#$%ing well - that alcoholism is a disease, but children who are never afforded the time or money to indulge in binge drinking cannot become alcoholics because in order to be one, you have to be able to actually pay for and consume hard drink excessively and regularly for extended periods of time.
Posted by: Emily | June 21, 2006 at 04:41 PM
Ooops. Bad tags. Does this help?
Posted by: Emily | June 21, 2006 at 04:42 PM
Emily
Oh sorry I thought you were referring to alcoholics in general which makes me think automatically of adults. However I still say that money never seems to be an object to drunks and I imagine that applies to children who binge drink as well as adults. They get the booze somehow by hook or by crook. Now I am not making excuses or claiming that it is stress that is driving these children to drink. It is lax control in their home lives that is mainly to blame. They do it because no-one cares to stop them and no-one monitors the structure of their daily lives.
Posted by: Colm | June 21, 2006 at 05:09 PM
Emily,
Youngsters often borrow money so that they can buy booze; and thereby end in deeper trouble.
Posted by: Adrian | June 21, 2006 at 06:48 PM
It's just another way to get kids on some sort of psychotropic drug. That'll shut them up and keep them under control.
Really though - the goal of children is to be competent as adults. Prolonging childhood and believing that self esteem is something that happens when everyone LIKES you is doing them no good at all. Teaching them the proper skills to be competent is what gives a person confidence and self-esteem.
I also happen to agree that a strong family helps. I see it out on the block every day - parents who have no idea what their kids are doing and have no interest either. They want to be left alone, the kid is a bother to them.
Posted by: Monica-Philadelphia | June 22, 2006 at 05:05 AM