UnLtd Blogs - children

Happiness And Resilience Lessons For Children

Sun, 09 Jul 2006 08:58:09 +0000

Following the disastrous report into the state of children's and adolescents' mental health I was wondering about the only possible mechanism for delivering appropriate interventions for children who need them.

So, I'm pleased to see that the Independent on Sunday carries a story about Prof. Marty Seligman being invited over to the UK to train teachers in delivering happiness and resilience lessons to children. It's an exciting prospect. It is more than a little interesting that the reporter has made the usual mistake of referring to Seligman as the "guru of positive thinking" as if it is a synonym for positive psychology and as if Prof. Seligman has accepts the annointment as "guru".

I think that this is an excellent innovation (particularly because it seems as if parents will be allowed to participate) but it is not clear that this is meant to address the needs of children identified in the BMA report as in need of treatment. Apparently, the "anti-depression classes" have been approved by Lord Layard. Now, the classes are either happiness and resilience classes or they are anti-depression: it is hard to imagine that they are synonymous. This is very sloppy reporting.

The move comes as experts warn that record numbers of young people are on the verge of mental breakdown as a result of family break-up, exam pressures and growing inability to cope with the pressures of modern life. Figures show that at least 10 per cent - three children in every average-sized class of 30 in the country - are experiencing symptoms of severe depression, including suicidal thoughts, prolonged bouts of despair and the urge to cry on a daily basis.

Irritatingly, the IoS's third article then styles the lessons as optimism lessons. Yes, there are overlaps but be consistent. It is ludicrous that there are three articles but it is still not clear what the lessons are and whether they are offered to all pupils as a means of developing resilience (probable) or considered to be sufficient for the children identified as having severe mental health problems. If it is the latter, it would have been helpful if the articles had mentioned the involvement of family doctors or any psychologists or psychiatrists who are already involved in the family.

Big Brother Monitoring Won't Alienate Anyone, Will It?

Mon, 26 Jun 2006 11:45:15 +0000

Greetings Comrades, there are exciting proposals that will lead to a revolution in how we raise our children. The government is proposing a database that will track all children from birth in England and Wales. The database will contain a rich assortment of data about children; from "how they are doing in class to whether they are eating enough fruit and veg".

These proposals are nothing like the punitive overtones of the recent Supernanny Initiative. They will form part of a Brave New World in which we will fit children with RFID chips, in-built cameras that will let us know how they interact with their environment and authority figures, and in vivo monitoring that will let us know what they are eating. Repeated failure to achieve the 5 a day target will trigger a reminder text.

Ignoring the fact that this proposal is monumentally unworkable, as should be apparent to anyone who has followed the NHS IT fiasco, what were the proposers of this scheme thinking? Or weren't they? Read Shinga's Since When Have Bureaucracy And Databases Been Synonyms For 'Solution' on this scheme. I will add that there is a lot of evidence that alienation from the environment or social system in which one lives is frequently cited as a factor in depression and anxiety. So, having your children monitored from birth isn't going to unsettle or alienate anyone, is it? It isn't possible that this bold social policy will result in greater levels of depression or mental illness?

What Is The Cost Of Mental Health For 1 Million Children?

Sun, 25 Jun 2006 15:48:43 +0000

Shinga was so fed up at the lack of costings for mental health treatment for children that she has attempted it for herself.

Shinga mentions the need to treat both the child and probably at least one other member of the family. She discusses the 'dispiriting' overlap between mental health problems in children and special educational needs (itself a very costly area). The figures are imperfect and far from comprehensive for the reasons that she describes: nonetheless, it is an interesting and grim read. We are constantly being told that children are our future: is this how we treat them? Is this the best quality investment we are making in the future of our citizens and our economy?

Some commentators greeted the announcement that children in Wellington College are to be taught resilience and happiness with derision. I wonder if the costs of introducing such topics in school would reach more pupils, more quickly, than waiting for the implentation of a large-scale mental health treatment programme that doesn't seem to exist? The children who need more specialised treatment need it. But, in the interim, and for those in the hinterland of having a mental health condition that is not yet serious enough to warrant a psychiatric intervention, what would be the costs of providing Laughter and resilience sessions in schools? The Laughter Leaders could be parent volunteers, local volunteers or maybe even some of the Classroom Assistants. I shall think about this scheme.

1 in 10 Children Has A Mental Health Problem That Needs Treatment

Wed, 21 Jun 2006 13:41:35 +0000

I was going to discuss the Independent's summary of the British Medical Association's Board of Science report that 1 in 10 Children Has A Mental Health Problem That Needs Treatment. However, Shinga has reviewed the summary and associated comment and finds them striking for their "poverty of imagination".

I agree with Shinga that the report tells us nothing that would startle anyone's granny. Children don't have the luxury of time. Speaking to the Independent, Avis Johns of YoungMinds, the mental health charity, said:

The majority of adults with mental illness are able to trace their symptoms back to childhood. It is essential we act now to prevent generations of children being blighted.

I couldn't agree more - but what is Avis Johns proposing? Sure Start isn't working. Hand-wringing isn't working - but then, it's not supposed to. The extra investment isn't working (but like the expensive Sure Start programme - that's getting to be old news). UnLtd funds lots of innovative projects that are aimed at improving family life or the physical, emotional and cognitive well-being of children. Do we need more seed-corn projects like that?

Paediatric Grand Rounds 1:5 Is Up

Sun, 18 Jun 2006 17:11:04 +0000

Paediatric Grand Rounds 1:5 is up, courtesy of Clark Bartram at Unintelligent Design.

There are several controversial topics in this collection of posts. It certainly is one thing to talk to adults about lifestyle choices that have an impact on their health, it is another to discuss adult behaviours and adult-supported lifestyle choices that have a profound impact on children's health. Here, I particularly have in mind Flea's post about a drug-seeking mother and Shinga's response on the consequences of a chaotic home life on children's health; plus Megan's account of finding gallstones in two young patients.

There are several excellent posts on parents perspectives (scroll down to the June 5th entry) and perspectives on neuro-developmental disorders. There are illustrations of contents of a newborn's nappy that might startle the unwary parent and a touching video made for a child recovering in PICU after a kidney transplant.

Springtime for Families

Wed, 03 May 2006 11:19:06 +0000

Well, it's that beautiful time of year again, Springtime. New buds popping up all over the place, new life in the fields, baby lambs skipping and hopping everywhere.

Today, I want to encourage families everywhere to breathe in the Spring air and have a new lease of life in the family.

Mum if you haven't relaxed with your children lately, take time off even if it's sitting in your own back garden and play with them talk with them, laugh with them. Play a silly game that will encourage you all to laugh. Dad's have a game of football with them, challenge them at playstation, read a story together or better still invent one. Build them a playhouse in the garden out of scrap material and a giant packing box, so what if it rains, who cares? You won't shrink! Children, plague your parents to play WITH you, they need it too! Life is too serious today, no wonder we have high levels of stress. Just taking time to play with your children, really play with them can be as de-stressing for you as it is fun and exciting for them.

I challenge you all to go out and do something together that you haven't done before. Only one rule! It musn't be organised entertainment like the cinema or a fairgound or Circus or Alton Towers! You have to be creative in keeping your money in your pocket and entertaining the children yourself.

In this age of technology and entertainment, it is all too easy to lose touch with your children as we 'pay' for them to be entertained by someone else. Some of the funniest and most memorable times I have had with my son have been making cardboard swords that eventually get smashed to pieces and we laugh as we battle with two stumps of cardboard giggling hysterically as another piece drops off.

A Breath Spa For Kids

Fri, 21 Apr 2006 16:42:39 +0000

I've just read about another UnLtd project: it is offering a breath spa for kids. The workshops are available for children with sleep-disordered breathing (a.k.a. snoring, sleep apnoea).

There is a research summary of sleep-disordered breathing that indicates that it is common in children with physical, emotional or behavioural issues. The project is set up to work on establishing healthy breathing habits for children to reduce the incidence of sleep-disordered breathing. If the techniques work, and the children stop snoring, it would be interesting to see if their other health outcomes improve.

I've participated in some of the pilot workshops for this project before at a pre-school and I had a great time (hey, I got to wear my Darth Vader mask). So, I've offered to run more laughter yoga and meditation sessions as part of the workshops so that the children can have an enjoyable learning experience. It will be interesting to see how this works out!