What Is Children's Mental Health Awareness Week?

Addiction can impact the whole family and can especially influence the mental health of children. As a result, parents must ultimately deal with the consequences their addiction has had on their children. That is why they must educate themselves about mental illness among youth. Children's Mental Health Awareness Week will take place beginning February 3rd and last through the 9th. We plan to use this as a time to discuss with parents in recovery what they should know and what they can do to support their children's mental health.   

West Coast Recovery Centers understands the toll addiction can take on children. Even more so, we understand how a parent may feel about the influence their addiction has taken on their children. We can't change the past, but we can create a better future. Take that first step toward a better future by seeking treatment for yourself, your family, and your children with West Coast Recovery Centers today. 

What Influence Does Addiction Have on Children?

Addiction can have a significantly negative impact on children. Children are not only at an increased risk of experiencing substance use disorder (SUD) themselves but will also likely struggle in an attempt to cope with a parent's addiction. Additional risk factors that might put youth at a greater risk for substance use include: 

• Family history of substance use 
• Low academic performance 
• Pre-existing mental health conditions 
• Early exposure to trauma 
• Parental substance use 

Whether the child or the parent struggled with SUD, addiction can lead to: 

• Emotional stress, including anxiety, fear, and other complex emotions 
• Feelings of inadequacy, insecurity, or feeling unloved by a parent 
• Behavioral issues that vary from extreme agree to severe depression 
• Struggles with SUD and co-occurring disorders 
• Attachment issues with one or both parents 
• The development of other physical health conditions 
• Family instability that leads to neglect, abuse, and other trauma 

Talking To Your Child About Your Addiction

Discussing one's struggle with addiction is challenging in any situation. However, there's added anxiety when talking to your child about it. As is, it's difficult to pinpoint when it's the best time to discuss addiction with your child. On top of that, it's crucial to ensure you're talking about it in an age-appropriate way. Figuring out these logistics is the first step toward a productive conversation. 

One thing that's vital to stress is letting your child know that your struggle with addiction is not their fault. Children often blame themselves for things out of their control. A primary example of this is when parents divorce. Reassuring your child that they've done nothing wrong and taking advantage of resources and support groups can help them cope more successfully. Of course, the potential for these conversations to be as productive as possible is limited without the help of professional support.

Other Factors Contributing to Children's Mental Health Issues Today

Addiction – whether the child's or parent's – is not the only thing contributing to children's mental health issues today. Aside from genetic predispositions or pre-existing mental health conditions, other factors contributing to the growing mental health concern among youth include: 

• Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which may consist of witnessing or experiencing abuse, neglect, violence, or other traumatic events 
• Bullying, isolation, and social exclusion which can lead to anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns 
• Intense academic pressure or high demand to meet impossible expectations among extracurricular activities 
• Excessive exposure to social media and technology and how this, in some cases, might lead to struggles with mental health 
• Other factors such as socioeconomic status or experiencing discrimination and other forms of stigmatization 

Most Common Mental Health Conditions Among Youth

A key component to helping youth maintain mental health is promoting positive healthy, productive conversations on the topic. However, in the interim, parents must educate themselves on some of the most common mental health conditions among youth, and what warning signs to look out for. 

Some of the most common mental health conditions in adolescence, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), include: 

• Anxiety, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety, and phobias
• Depression, including major depressive disorder (MDD) and seasonal affective disorder (SAD) 
• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) 
• Eating disorders like anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating

Further, the HHS provides several warning signs for parents to be mindful of, which include: 

• Low energy 
• Trouble sleeping 
• Unusual eating patterns 
• Loss of interest in enjoyable activities 
• Isolation and avoiding social activities 
• Self-harming, for example, burning or cutting 
• Using alcohol, tobacco, or other substances 
• Increased risk-taking or destructive behavior 
• Suicidal thoughts or ideations 
• More intense symptoms like delusions, hallucinations, or paranoia 

How Can We Better Support Children's Mental Health?

If your child experiences any of the warning signs listed above, we encourage you to seek help immediately. However, there are other things parents and society can do to better support children's mental health. That may consist of: 

• Establishing healthy routines conducive to a child's overall mental and physical well-being
• Creating strong parent-child relationships by listening and responding to children's needs 
• Being a role model and prioritizing your own well-being to teach children to prioritize theirs
• Building support networks for children so that they can make connections and lean on friends and family in times of need 
• Creating safe spaces and supportive environments to have open and honest discussions about substance use and mental health 

Children's Mental Health Awareness Week may only last a short while, but the mental health of our children should be a priority every day of the year. If you or a child is struggling with addiction, mental illness, and other health complications consider taking the first step toward a better life today. 

The world has been experiencing a mental health crisis for quite some time. However, a key demographic struggling with their mental health that some may not always consider is children. The impact of addiction, pre-existing mental health conditions, and early exposure to traumatic and distressing situations can all negatively impact children's mental health. By having open and honest conversations about mental health and partaking in nationally recognized awareness campaigns like Children's Mental Health Awareness Week, we can, hopefully, prevent the continuing decline of children's mental health on a larger scale. Contact West Coast Recovery Centers for more information about treatment and the impact of addiction on your children by calling (760) 492-6509 today.