With every passing decade, modern life gets more complicated and stressful. Adults must expend a lot of energy to keep up with the world, and parents might need to realize its impact on their kids. While many modern conveniences make childhood better in some ways, many young people are forced to grow up faster and face challenges their parents didn’t. It should come as no surprise that mental health issues are more prevalent among young people today than ever before. If you think your kids might need mental health care, there are seven reasons why you shouldn’t delay arranging it for them.
1. Early Treatment Improves Long-Term Outcomes
Simply having access to children’s mental health services goes a long way in helping your family’s youngest members. You already know how routine screenings, prevention, and early intervention affect physical health for yourself and everyone you love. It’s no different for behavioral issues or mental health; faster treatment contains situations and can minimize the long-term risk of depression and substance abuse.
2. Finding the Best Treatment
When you seek early treatment for your kids, you have more time. You can be more selective about finding the proper treatment and service providers, hopefully, someone your kids click with. Being comfortable with their therapists is crucial to their best odds for success, and the first one you find might not be your best option.
3. Improve Their Life Quality
Treating your child’s mental health improves their capacity to deal with life. Doing so as early as possible means those improvements to their quality of life can happen sooner rather than later. Research highlights how early intervention for mental health boosts the motivation and self-esteem of those receiving treatment, and those are valuable attributes for young people still finding their footing in life.
4. Get a Better Night’s Sleep
Mental health conditions can keep people up at night, and it might happen more with kids and teens who are still learning how to regulate their emotions. This can leave them exhausted and irritable during the day, impacting everything from school to social relationships. Keeping their conditions from becoming chronic returns them to proper, regular rest.
5. Take Advantage of Telehealth Options
Many parents worry about their kids spending too much time with technology and behind electronic screens, but telehealth options are available for mental health treatment. Kids and teens might benefit from therapy sessions from the comfort of their homes, and it might be less driving your family around for you.
6. Maintain Physical Health
Mental illness that goes untreated can impact physical health in a very negative fashion. Chronic conditions can develop, even if they don’t manifest until later. Possibilities include obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
7. Defeat Stigma
Your kids might already be picking up from others the stigma surrounding mental health conditions, but they should also know that people their age are among the 20% of the population suffering from these issues. Beating back the stigma they might have helps them open up and embrace treatment.
6 Tidbits of Advice for a Happier, Healthier Life(Opens in a new browser tab)
Help Is Available
Getting early treatment for your kids when they might have mental health struggles helps them grow up well. The resources available include school counselors, local psychologists and therapists, and online psychiatrists. Work with your doctor and insurance to find affordable, reliable options that can improve the quality of life for your young ones, both now and later.
Discussion about this post