Here we share some tips for talking to your child about mental health
One in ten young people will experience a mental health problem, that's three in every class, yet there is still a huge amount of stigma surrounding mental illness with people, including young people, teachers and parents, being reluctant to talk about it.
Time to Change is an anti-stigma mental health campaign and they are trying to encourage open conversation about mental health so that there is less of a taboo around mental illness.
Here we have some tips on how to talk to your children about mental health.
Ten Top Tips for Talking
1. Seize the moment
It might be over a meal, during a car journey, or during the ad break while you’re watching the telly together. These informal spaces can be great opportunities to talk about serious topics in a more relaxed atmosphere.
2. Explain that we all have mental health
Mental health is about our range of emotions and how we cope with our lives. Our mental health can fluctuate, just like our physical health - over the course of our lives, or even from day to day.
3. Start small
You don’t need to set aside hours to chat. Just opening up the conversation makes a big difference.
4. Mental health is positive too
Mental health isn’t just about mental illness, it is also about wellbeing. You could chat about things that aid wellbeing, like talking, exercise, chill out /'me' time, time away from social media and homework pressures. Mental wellbeing doesn’t mean feeling happy all the time. It’s about feeling able to cope with life’s ups and downs.
5. Talk their language
None of us are always familiar with the terminology around mental health or mental illness. But young people will most likely be familiar with the idea of feeling stressed, depressed, low or anxious. They might also have encountered eating disorders or self-harm among their peers or in the media. Explain that this is part of what we mean when we talk about mental health.
6. Depersonalise
Research suggests that young people often find it easier to think and talk openly about a hypothetical situation rather than their own feelings and experiences. So, instead of asking them direct questions about themselves, you could ask ‘how someone might feel who is stressed about XYZ?’ You could talk about soap opera, tv or book characters.
7. Link to other types of stigma and discrimination
Explain that just as racial prejudice or discrimination against people with physical disabilities is unacceptable, so is mental health stigma and discrimination. We can make a real difference by being open-minded and non-judgemental.
8. Show you’re happy to talk and listen
Above all, let your child know that if they are worried about their own mental health – or the mental health of someone they know – they can come and talk to you about it and you will be there to support them.
9. Learn together
It’s OK not to know or understand things. You could always suggest that it’s something you can learn about together.
10. Check out the Time to Change resources
There are lots of resources on the internet, and you might find it useful to hear from people who have had these types of conversations with their children before.
You can read more at www.time-to-change.org.uk/parents
Tagged in Mental Health Parenting Tips