Children's mental health worsening

[AB Asks]

There has been a 100% increase in the occurrence of children's emotional problems since the 1930s. Now, apparently, one in ten children has a mental health disorder. The study was carried out by the children's charity NCH; they describe an emotionally well child as one who displays 'empathy, self-awareness, an ability to manage their feelings, motivation and good social skills'. What do you think? From what you see is children's mental health decreasing? If so what is causing this? Or do you think this is another statistic that no-one really understands or will act on?

[Craig007]

89.54% of statistics are made up!

[Doc Spock]

This is what you get when discipline goes out of the window. No wonder youngsters don't know where they are mentally, no one dare or can't tell them.

[rabbitygirl]

Dont have much personal contact with kids these days but have assumed many are emotionally unbalanced as they just love to shriek and scream when they are out. Dont recall it going on to this extent over the years and would like them to please stop as it unbalances my emotions.

[Hellyon]

My mother was born in 1931, she was evacuated but had an awful time and went home, her father died, her mother was pregnant, she lived in Birmingham so spent most of the war in an air raid shelter while houses around her were being bombed, she left school at 14 and went to work. She is the most mentally stable woman I know. Her childhood was crap but she had rules to live by and she was pretty certain what her future held. In short she knew were she was with her life.
Children today have mental health problems because they are confused, they get mixed messages all the time and no clear rules to live their lives by. Half of them have divorced parents which further adds to the confusion, especially when 2 parents are at odds with each other. They are treated like lepers by the majority of the population (policeman told me this week a local woman dialled 999 because there were children doing wheelies on their bikes in her road - give me strength!!!) They are under so much pressure at school to achieve the teachers targets that learning has stopped being fun they are harrassed through lessons each day and if they get behind they don't get a chance to catch up. Add to that peer pressure from other kids, they can't play outside anymore and every news story is some horror story to do with a kidand it makes for a stressful time. I think the statistic is rubbish but I do think that mentally children are not as healthy anymore.

[neo.]

I show no empathy, no self awareness, no ability to manage my feelings and cr$p social skills...what does that say about me

[fine,thanks]

neo, it means you will be a long term user of answerbank ! : )

[dot.hawkes]

I would like to know what survey wasa carried out in the 1930s to establish the number of occurences then, to base this 100% increase on. Was this a survey carried out by contacting childrens homes or hospitals? What type of mental health problems were looked at then? i know that if a girl of 14 got pregnant back then, and even up to the 1960s, they were locked up in asylums and kept there for years. I think it a statistic based on a very dubious statistic from the 1930s and because of that is just someone else messing with peoples heads.