Kid's Mental Health

Kids’ and teens’ mental health deserves attention and support

Why is children’s mental health important?

Childhood and adolescence are important times for children and teens to learn to recognize and take care of their overall well-being. Talking about and seeking mental health support for children teaches them that mental health is just as important as physical health. 

It may be easy for adults to write off kids’ mental health struggles as unimportant or simply a “phase.” However, children’s and teens’ mental health issues can be just as detrimental — if not more — to their overall health and well-being. Kids’ mental health should be taken just as seriously as an adult’s mental health.

How does mental health impact a child’s development?

Considering mental health affects an individual’s outlook on their life and the world around them, in addition to their ability to function on a daily basis, children’s mental health is just as important as an adult’s.

Furthermore, children and teens go through a variety of emotional, social, behavioral and physical developmental periods between early childhood and the end of adolescence. A healthy mental state and mental health supports in childhood and through teenage years give them the building blocks to make these transformations and develop into happy, healthy and functioning adults.

What percentage of children suffer from mental illness?

More children and teens are diagnosed with mental health conditions than ever before, and experts believe that number is on the rise.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that up to 20% or 1 in 5 children in America experienced a mental disorder in a given year, according to a 2007 report. Since then, 71% of parents noted in a 2020 survey that the pandemic had taken a toll on their child’s or teen’s mental health. And according to the American Psychological Association, the pandemic made it more difficult for people to seek help in addition to contributing to kids’ mental health struggles.

Here's how those statistics break down between kids and teens.

What do mental health in children statistics indicate? 

The CDC reported that 1 in 6 U.S. children ages 2 to 8 years old had a diagnosed mental, behavioral or developmental disorder in 2016. Some factors made 2- to 8-year-old children more susceptible to diagnosable conditions. They included:

• Being male. Boys were more likely than girls to be diagnosed with a mental, behavioral or developmental disorder, studies found.
• Living with socioeconomic difficulties. The CDC stated that 22% of children living below 100% of the federal poverty level had a mental, behavioral or developmental issue.

What do mental health in teens statistics indicate?

Kids ages 12 to 17 are much more likely to experience and be diagnosed with a mental, behavioral or developmental issue, according to CDC data. Unfortunately, kids and teens in this age range were also much more likely to be diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Consider the following statistics about kids’ mental health for those ages 12 to 17, according to 2018 and 2019 data. 

• About 15% had a major depressive episode.
• Approximately 37% had persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.
• Nearly 20% seriously considered suicide.

And it’s possible that more teens are experiencing mental health struggles as a result of the pandemic. In fact, a spring 2020 national survey of 3,300 high schoolers found nearly a third of students felt unhappy and depressed more than usual.

1. Mood disorders
   • Depressive disorder: Commonly known as depression, depressive disorder is marked by a depressed or “down” mood for an extended period of time, or at least two weeks. Depression involves a loss of hope and interest in people, activities and other things a person used to enjoy.
     Of American kids ages 3 to 17, about 4.4% — or 2.7 million — of children are diagnosed with depression. Depression is one of the most common mood disorders kids and teens experience, and those who are diagnosed with depression are also often diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. In fact, about 3 in 4 children with depression also experience anxiety. 
   • Bipolar disorder: Bipolar disorder consists of periods of abnormal swings in mood and energy levels that last at least four consecutive days. These moods are often characterized by a persistently elevated mood — which could include gleefulness or even irritability — and increased energy. The downswing from this mood often includes low energy and feelings of intense sadness, hopelessness and negativity. It’s estimated that about 7% of children and adolescents in America have a disorder on the bipolar spectrum.
2. Anxiety Disorders
   • Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): Those who experience generalized anxiety disorder have excessive and intense worries about many events, activities or situations. While they may have certain triggers that elevate nervous or anxious symptoms, they likely have anxiety about a variety of scenarios. These anxious feelings are often out of proportion to the probability that the anticipated event will actually take place.
     Symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder often interfere with day-to-day life and cause physical symptoms, like panic attacks, sweating, shortness of breath, nausea, heart palpitations, shaking and more. Since 9.4% of American kids and teens have an anxiety disorder, or about 5.8 million, generalized anxiety disorder is one of the most common mental health conditions affecting children. About 1 in 3 children who have an anxiety disorder also have depression.
   • Social anxiety disorder (SAD): Similar to generalized anxiety disorder, the triggers and symptoms for social anxiety disorder are mostly linked to anxious thoughts and feelings surrounding social situations, causing an individual to avoid social settings. Experts estimate that 9.1% of kids and teens in America experience social anxiety.
   • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Kids and teens can develop PTSD after severely traumatic events, such as exposure to death, serious injury, sexual violence or other trauma. Triggering scenarios can cause them to reexperience their initial trauma. Symptoms can include dissociation; emotional or behavioral issues; anger or irritation; and fight, flight or freeze responses. It’s estimated that about 5% of children and adolescents have PTSD.
   • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): Those who have OCD obsess over certain topics or have compulsions they have trouble controlling. The subjects individuals focus on are specific to each individual, but common obsessions and compulsions center on cleaning, symmetry and patterns, and fears of harm coming to oneself or a loved one. About 0.5% of kids and teens have OCD.
3. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD):Kids and adolescents with ADHD have great difficulty staying focused and controlling their behavior due to hyperactivity. This is one of the most common mental health disorders kids and adolescents experience with anywhere from 6% to 16% of kids and teens being diagnosed with ADHD.
4. Behavioral disorders
   • Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD): Kids diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder portray a pattern of negative, aggressive, hostile or defiant behavior. They may have trouble controlling their temper, argue with adults, refuse to follow rules, are resentful or spiteful, and have difficulties getting along with peers. An estimated 1% to 16% of kids and adolescents have ODD.
   • Conduct disorder (CD): Those who have CD exhibit persistent behaviors that violate basic rights of others. For example, they may show aggression to people and animals, destroy property, lie often, commit theft, or break rules consistently by actions like missing curfew or being truant from school. Somewhere between 2% to 4% of youth worldwide experience CD.
5. Eating disorders: These mental health disorders also have negative and sometimes life-threatening physical health implications. It’s estimated that as many as 10 in 100 adolescent females experience one or more forms of an eating disorder. 
   • Anorexia nervosa: Anorexia is characterized by a need for control and an extreme fear of gaining weight. Individuals with anorexia restrict how much they eat to control their weight and may be severely underweight, though many can appear to be a healthy weight and still be struggling with this condition.
   • Bulimia nervosa: Those with bulimia binge by consuming a lot of food or drink at one time and then purge by vomiting, using laxatives, extreme exercise or other methods.
   • Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder: Much more common in kids than in adults, those who struggle with this mental health condition restrict the foods and drinks they consume, though not because of a fear of weight gain. They may have problems with certain textures, sensations, tastes or smells. It’s also possible they associate negative feelings with certain foods.

What are 5 symptoms that a child may have a mental health disorder?

Mental health in toddlers and young children

To some degree, being the parent or guardian of a toddler or a young child means being in a constant state of worry that they aren’t being set up to be happy, healthy, successful and emotionally regulated teens and adults. Toddler parents may find themselves googling “signs of mental illness in 2-year-old” or “signs of mental illness in 3-year-old” after a tantrum or other episode of emotional dysregulation.

Toddlerhood is chock-full of a variety of new developmental phases that can leave both parents and children spinning. Well-meaning parents and caregivers need to remember that while it’s important to learn and understand each child’s unique needs, it’s not likely that children under 3 or 4 years of age have a mental health condition. Even perceived signs of mental illness in 4-year-olds can simply be a phase or emotional reactions based on a lack of control in their environment.

It's also extremely difficult for toddlers and young children to understand their emotions and how they are affected by the emotions of those around them. Even if they do recognize their own emotions, it can be tough for them to put words to those feelings. The result: Their behavior changes first.

When they become emotionally dysregulated or have a tantrum, follow these steps.

• Name their feeling so they can learn what the emotion they’re experiencing is.
• Acknowledge that it’s hard to experience whatever they are going through.
• Say the boundary.
• Give them a choice so they feel they have control over the situation.
• The most important part: Be consistent and repeat the boundary, even if the tantrum gets louder and messier.

It can sound like this.

“It’s time to leave the park. You’re angry. It’s hard to leave the park when you’re having fun, but right now, it’s time to go. Do you want to fly to the car or gallop to the car? Oh, you’re still angry and sad. I will help you because it’s time to leave the park.”

While it may sound difficult, naming their feelings and letting them have space to process those difficult feelings is crucial, and you can do this all while sticking to the boundary you’ve set. Later that day or the next day, when the child has fully calmed down, you can talk to them about what happened.

Remember that while it can be difficult for adults to interpret, a toddler or young child’s behavior often communicates a need that they have rather than a kid’s mental health condition.

 Mental health in school-age children

It’s more typical for kids’ mental health to have ups and downs once they enter school. What a person may think are signs of mental illness in a 5-year-old are likely indicators that they are struggling to adjust to the much more structured and overstimulating environment of a classroom filled with 20 to 30 of their peers.

However, it is more likely that school-age kids are diagnosed with mental health conditions than younger children for several reasons. Here are just some of those reasons.

• They are old enough that parents, caregivers, educators, health professionals or others have observed a regular pattern of behavior, such as difficulty focusing on activities or in the classroom.
• Since they have developed some personality and behavior patterns, significant changes in mood, activity level and interests are easier to note.
• Trained mental health professionals, such as a school counselor, may recognize warning signs a bit better than parents due to their expertise.
• Some mental health conditions are much less likely to present until later in adolescents.
• Puberty, social and academic pressures, overstimulation, and changes in their environment and home life can all take a toll on kids’ mental health.

Signs of mental illness in children

Here are some of the warning signs for kids’ mental health struggles.

How to support a child with mental health issues?

Remember that children go through many changes in their environment and their own development, so the signs of mental illness in a 5-year-old could differ from the signs of mental illness in a 7-year-old. That’s why it’s crucial to involve a trained school counselor or mental health provider, like Heart of Iowa Community Services (HICS), or your child’s pediatrician if you observe several of the above symptoms.

What can you do to support a kids’ mental health?

Parents: Parents and family members know their children best, so if you notice changes or have concerns, don’t wait to talk to a professional. If symptoms intensify or don’t go away after intervention, don’t be afraid to be a persistent advocate for your child’s mental health. Early intervention can help kids and teens get the help they need without their mental health worsening.

Kids and teens: If kids and teens are able to recognize and verbalize that they are experiencing negative mental health symptoms, tell a trusted adult as early as possible and don’t stop until you feel your concerns are heard. Advocates should never underestimate the power of peer support, too.  

Health care professionals: Early diagnosis and potential treatment are crucial to helping kids and teens get back on a healthy path to manage their mental health and successfully develop into emotionally functioning adults. Mental health professionals and advocates, like HICS, can connect your family to a variety of community resources that will help. Your child’s pediatrician is also a great person in which to confide concerns.

Educators and school counselors: Educators and school counselors can be a huge help in observing and advocating for children in places where parents and caregivers can’t see. They are often well trained in recognizing warning signs and can recommend next steps for families to take if there is a mental health issue.

Why is it important to understand early childhood mental health?

Health professionals should and do consider the importance of mental health in early childhood to be high. Why? For all the same reasons that physical, emotional and other cognitive developments are critical for overall health and well-being in early childhood. Children and adolescents are being set up for further stages of development.

They’re learning to recognize and reflect on their own health and needs. They’re also learning to perceive the world around them and how mental health can affect others. If they don’t understand mental health and what to do about negative mental health symptoms, they won’t be their happiest and healthiest selves.

Can mental disorders in children and teens be prevented?

While some kids’ mental health conditions could potentially be prevented, it’s more important to focus on early intervention.

Consider mental health conditions like an eating disorder, for instance. Experts know that if adults avoid talking about weight, body image, dieting and other harmful habits that can affect a child’s self-image and relationship with food, it could help prevent a child from developing these negative mental health conditions. However, it’s impossible to predict and protect against every trigger a child will encounter inside and outside of the home.

No matter the mental health struggle, early intervention and a full support system composed of family, friends, mental health professionals and others are the best way for kids and teens to manage their mental health.

How can a parent’s mental health affect a child?

Even if they don’t realize it, children and adolescents are extremely perceptive to the emotions of those around them, and their behavior during youth reflects the way they’ve learned to interpret and cope with stressors and stimuli, whether positive or negative.

In fact, a study that asked parents and caregivers to detail their child’s mental health as well as their own mental health found that 1 in 14 kids aged 0 to 17 years had a parent who reported poor mental health. If parents talk about and model good habits related to mental health, kids and teens may find it much easier and normal to talk about and seek help for their own mental health conditions now or later in life.

How do I seek help for my kid’s mental health?

If you live in central or southwestern Iowa, reach out to HICS today. HICS can connect you with a variety of community supports that help within the home, classroom and elsewhere. We help children and families of all backgrounds and circumstances, free of judgment.

Reach out at HICSIowa.org.