Attracting Abundance

The Law

Two Doors to Success

Happiness - XII

Children - both as people and as tomorrow's adults - matter hugely. 31% of world population is aged under 18.

What matters most with children is their subjective well-being - how they feel about their lives. Children differ hugely in their subjective well being. There is a wide spectrum. there is increasing evidence that nurturing the positive aspects of all young lives is the most effective way of preventing mental disorders.

Children's mental well being is affected by every aspect of their lives - physical health, quality of nutrition, wealth and poverty, discrimination, war and conflict, abuse - and a whole gamut of other social and economic factors. First is the family - the stability that it provides, the stimuli that it provides and the values it nurtures. Then there is psychological support of the larger community, including health services.  And finally there is the school which leaves its mark on the character of every child. 

Around 10% of the world's children i.e 220 million children, today are suffering from diagnosable mental health problems. About half of them are suffering from anxiety disorders and half from either attention disorders or conduct disorders. Approximately 1% of all children suffer from developmental disorders such as autism. These problems have increased over the past five decades. these children are unhappy and disturbed - the quality of their experience is very poor.And the majority of them will also turn out to be unhappy adults. The best predictor of whether a child will become a satisfied adult is not their academic achievements but their emotional health in childhood.

In the rich countries only 25% of the disturbed children get specialist help. The condition in poor countries is much worse. The treatment of physical illness get much higher order of preference than mental illness. In treatment of mental illnesses there has been significant development in the last three decades. Well researched treatments are now available for child anxiety and depression and for conduct disorders with recovery rate over 50% and with sustained results. Maternal depression is now treatable which blights the lives of many children.

The central aim of any society should be that its children enjoy their lives and acquire the skills necessary to become happy functional adults. For this they need to develop emotional buoyancy, coping skills, resilience and the ability to form constructive social relationships. Social and emotional capacity is built in response to experience. the main drivers of children;s experience are parents, teachers, health workers and the community in general.

The child related mental disorders affects every country on the globe. Of total child morbidity, the WHO estimates that 23% results from mental rather than physical ill health. This is serious in itself. the problem assumes very serious proportions when we learn that 50% of the children who suffer mental illnesses will be mentally ill as adults also. 90% of people who commit suicide are mentally ill. Moreover mental health affects physical health. Depression reduces life expectancy as much as smoking does.  It has a greater disabling effect than diabetes, arthritis, angina or asthma. Mental health is also crucial for for a satisfied life.

The economic cost of mental disorder is significant. Here are some facts:-

1. mental illnness reduces GDP by at least 5% through reduced productivity or inability to work, and through increased crime and healthcare costs.
2. a study in Britain has revealed that the least happy tenth of children are 7% poorer as adults than they would otherwise be. This is because emotional problems interfere so much with their education and physical health.
3. children with conduct disorder become four times more likely to commit crime, take drugs, become teenage parents, depend on welfare and attempt suicide.
4. when parents are mentally ill, children suffer. Depression affects one fifth of all mothers either during pregnancy or the following year. This takes a heavy toll on the mother and the child. the average cost to society of one case of perinatal depression has been estimated in Britain to equal the average annual wage. By contrast the cost of successful psychological treatment,  after assuming a 50% success rate, is only 5% of that.

these facts have fundamental policy implications. The cost of correction at an early stage is much lower than the cost of potential loss to the society later. It is always better to intervene sooner than later.

Namaste

Prabir