While most find it easy to empathize with physical suffering, the suffering of a child with psychiatric issues may not be as empathized. Due to stigma, fear, shame, and misunderstanding about psychiatric disorders, many children with mental health disorders keep their pain a secret and the majority never receive clinical care.

Added to this, some parents and teachers believe that children today are only complaining, lazy or lying when they attempt to speak to them about their mental health issues. They are either in denial and/or are unaware of the mental health needs of children and the consequences of not getting them the right support. It is important to debunk the myths, so that your child can get the help and understanding they deserve. 

The very first myth is that ‘children do not experience mental health problems and are merely in a bad mood/ going through a phase’. However, a parent should not assume the same as mood, anxiety and attention-related disorders can affect children, and the symptoms can be severe. Furthermore, if left untreated, children can suffer additional health disorders and be at a greater risk. 

Some parents who identify and accept that their child is facing mental health issues, tend to think that ‘seeking help through therapy is a waste of time’. However, many effective forms of therapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy which focuses on changing thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that are causing serious problems exist and will assist children to cope more effectively. Treatment is also most successful in the first few years that the symptoms appear. 

Some parents who do not believe in therapy insist that ‘all the child needs is medication’ and that just like a physical ailment is reduced by medication, the same will apply to mental health. However, while medication can be helpful to some, it is not always the best treatment plan for children. Furthermore, even if medication is given, children will still continue to need assistance with coping patterns, which they can seek through therapy via speaking to a professional mental health worker. 

On the other hand, some parents believe that ‘children are over-medicated by a psychiatrist’. In contrast, psychiatrists use enormous care when deciding whether and how to start a child on a treatment plan that includes medication and such medication is given alongside beavioural therapy. 

While some parents incorrectly assume that ‘psychiatric problems results from personal weakness’, some think that ‘children need no medication or therapy and can and should manage their mental health issues through willpower’. However, it must be understood that a mental health disorder is not mild anxiety or a dip in mood but a severe distress and dysfunction that can affect all areas of a child’s life. Furthermore, children cannot be expected to have the tools to overcome these challenges on their own, but they can recover with the help of their parents, and mental health professionals.

Finally, while some parents think that ‘a child with a psychiatric disorder is damaged for life’, others think that the ‘children will grow out of mental health problems’ on their own and with time. However, children are more likely to go into debilitating conditions with time, if left untreated, than they are to grow out of a mental health problem. Furthermore, most mental health problems left untreated in childhood become more difficult to treat in adulthood.

Low parental engagement results in a significant increase in suicidal attempts, feeling lonely or feeling anxious. Hence, public policies, youth programmes and schools should involve parents and emphasize the need for them to better engage with their children in meaningful ways.

Furthermore, due to the lack of adequate services and professionals in most parts of the country, the family unit bears the brunt of caring for those with mental health disorders. Hence it is very important that they debunk the myths, do not see mental health as a taboo topic and seek the assistance that their children need so that they may have their health and happiness restored.