Anxiety Reports Up 35% in Children
I read an article today that according to the NSPCC’s Childline, that they have counselled 11,706 children regarding anxiety which is a 35% increase on last year. Whilst is it very disturbing that anxiety levels are increasing for children, I would like to look at this in a slightly different way and how this may have an impact on adult psychotherapy and counselling.
I would interpret these figures as showing the children are becoming far more aware of their own mental state. Not only are they becoming aware of the issues, but more importantly they are becoming more aware of how to seek out help for these issues. Most therapists would agree that one of the most important factors in getting well is the recognition that there is something wrong in the first place and to identify it in order to get help.
These figures from Childline imply that children are indeed becoming more aware of what affects their mental state and that more and more children are not prepared to simply suffer with this. What I see is the implication of this is that as these children grow up they will have a much better understanding of their mental health than perhaps many of the adults of today. With this awareness, they may well be more open to getting help before the anxiety becomes are real debilitating factor in their lives. This can only be a good thing for them, as well as a good thing for the mental health of the nation.
