Breaking the stigma of mental health is a top priority for parents
Updated: 8:28 PM EDT Aug 9, 2024
A RECENT STUDIES HAVE FOUND IT IS A TOP PRIORITY FOR PARENTS, CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH, DISTURBING STATS SHOW A RISE IN CONDITIONS AND TO BREAK THE STIGMA OF MENTAL HEALTH, WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT IT, WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT WE DID WITH PARENTS AND EXPERTS FROM THE CENTER FOR CHILD COUNSELING. TRACY, YOU HAVE A SON IN HIGH SCHOOL. WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND? WELL, FOR ME, I THINK YOU CAN BE A GREAT ROLE MODEL IN THE HOME. BUT THEN THERE’S THAT OTHER MONSTER, WHICH IS SOCIAL MEDIA AND HOW I FEEL LIKE AS A YOUNG TEENAGER, YOUNG MAN, I JUST DON’T WANT HIM TO BE INFLUENCED BY WHAT HE SEES ON SOCIAL MEDIA, THAT HE FEELS LIKE THAT’S HOW LIFE IS SUPPOSED TO BE. WE’RE IN A WORLD WHERE SOCIAL MEDIA FEELS SO PERVASIVE. WE ALL PUT OUR BEST SELVES FORWARD WHEN WE’RE ON SOCIAL MEDIA, BUT I THINK REMINDING OTHERS THAT THAT’S ONE SNAPSHOT THAT HAS BEEN VERY LIKE PURPOSEFULLY CURATED IS IMPORTANT. AND THEY DON’T ALWAYS LOOK LIKE THAT. WHAT IS DRIVING THE MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS RIGHT NOW IN OUR COUNTRY? I THINK SOCIAL MEDIA PERPETUATES SUCH INTENSE SOCIAL COMPARISON THAT WE’RE ALL STRIVING FOR THIS UNREALISTIC EXPECTATION AND PUTTING ALL OF THIS REALLY UNMANAGEABLE PRESSURE ON OURSELVES. SOCIAL MEDIA SEEMS TO BE A VERY HOT TOPIC AMONGST US RIGHT NOW. DANIKA, YOU HAVE A SIX YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AT HOME, SOCIAL MEDIA MAY BE NOT A HUGE CONCERN RIGHT NOW, BUT IT WILL BE DOWN THE ROAD. SHE’S IN MOVING INTO FIRST GRADE AND I’M THINKING ABOUT CHANGING SCHOOLS FOR HER BECAUSE THE SCHOOL THAT SHE’S BEEN GOING TO, THEY HAVE RECESS MAYBE ONCE A WEEK, MAYBE ONCE A MONTH. THEY DON’T DO RECESS EVERY DAY, WHICH TO ME, I THINK THAT IS IS NEGATIVE. I THINK THAT THEY DON’T HAVE THAT BREAK. AND MENTALLY I THINK THAT’S VERY HARD. I FEEL LIKE IT’S AFFECTING HER. I THINK PLAY IS A CRUCIAL ASPECT FOR HOW CHILDREN LEARN HOW TO NAVIGATE THEIR ENVIRONMENT. THE BRAIN IS NOT GETTING DEVELOPED WHEN WHEN YOU’RE ISOLATED RIGHT THROUGH PLAY AS MACKENZIE WAS SAYING, OUR BRAIN DEVELOPS, WE LEARN HOW TO PROBLEM SOLVE. WE LEARN HOW TO BE MORE INDEPENDENT, RIGHT? CHILDREN LEARN THESE THINGS AND AND TO TRACY’S POINT, IT’S NOT JUST SIX YEAR OLDS AND FIVE YEAR OLDS. IT GOES BACK TO 17 YEAR OLDS WHERE THEY ARE THROUGH SOCIAL INTERACTIONS. THEY LEARN THE ACCEPTANCE OF RESPONSIBILITY, DELAY OF GRATIFICATION, RIGHT? WITH SOCIAL MEDIA, ALL OF THOSE ARE DIFFERENT. ACTUALLY OPPOSITE THAT. SO THAT IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION IS RIGHT THERE. THERE IS NO WAY OF PROBLEM SOLVING BECAUSE YOU CONSTANTLY HAVE SOMETHING POPPING UP AT YOU, NOT WITH YOU. RIGHT? EVEN WITH MY OWN KIDS, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE EMOTIONAL REGULATION THING IS REALLY DIFFICULT. YOU KNOW, I’VE GOT A SEVEN YEAR OLD WHO YOU KNOW, KIND OF HAS TANTRUMS AND, YOU KNOW, JUST EVEN AS A PARENT TRYING TO DEAL WITH, YOU KNOW, NAVIGATING HOW TO HELP, HOW TO HELP HIM IN A PATIENT WAY. BUT, YOU KNOW, ALSO SET BOUNDARIES, NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, ALLOW HIM TO JUST DO WHATEVER. SO, I MEAN, I THINK THAT OUR CHOICES ALWAYS HELP, EVEN WITH 17 YEAR OLDS. AND TO YOUR POINT, IT’S VERY DIFFICULT BECAUSE THEY’RE VERY IMPULSIVE. THE PROBLEM SOLVING IS STILL NOT FULLY DEVELOPED. RIGHT. AND THEY WANT THAT IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION. RIGHT. SO ALLOWING THEM DELAYING THAT GRATIFICATION I THINK HELPS YOU KNOW, LIKE SETTING SOME SOME RESPONSIBILITIES BEFORE THEY, THEY GET TO, TO TO ENJOY THEIR TIME, BUT ALSO SETTING UP LIKE GIVING THEM OPTIONS BUT NOT TOO MANY. RIGHT. SO TEACHING THEM THROUGH EXPERIENCES AND TO ACTIVITIES HOW TO PROBLEM SOLVE. RIGHT. GIVING THEM THAT INDEPENDENCE. RIGHT. AND APPROPRIATE WAY TO TO JUST REALLY DO THINGS ON THEIR OWN AND TO TO FAIL AND TO SUCCEED AGAIN. RIGHT. SO I’M THE PARENT OF A SINGLE CHILD AND HE I THINK COVID CHANGED THINGS A LOT FOR SINGLE KIDS. UH, THEY’VE BECOME MORE RESERVED. THEY’RE MORE MATURE THAN OTHER KIDS WHO HAVE SIBLINGS. AT LEAST. HOW CAN WE HELP LIKE SUCH KIDS BE KIDS? BECAUSE I THINK MY SON IS WAY OLDER THAN WHAT HE’S SUPPOSED TO BE MENTALLY. YOU KNOW? SO THAT’S THAT’S NOT RIGHT. I SOMETIMES FEEL IT’S NOT HEALTHY FOR HIM. HOW CAN WE EXPECT A LITTLE ONE TO KEEP IT ALL TOGETHER IF THAT’S NOT WHAT THEY’RE SEEING AND WE’RE NOT CO-REGULATING WITH THEM? UM, AND I ALSO FEEL LIKE WHEN WE’RE MODELING, JUST BEING PLAYFUL, LIKE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER, IT’S SOMETHING THAT IS A LITTLE BIT OF A PERMISSION FOR THEM TO BE GOOFY AND SILLY AND A KID, UM, BECAUSE AS AN ONLY CHILD, I DEFINITELY AGREE WITH YOU. I WAS BEHAVING LIKE A LITTLE ADULT AS A CHILD INSTEAD OF MY PEERS BEING A LITTLE BIT MORE PLAYFUL. UM, AND NOW RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY, UM, I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT AS A STRESS RELIEVER, BUT ALSO AS A BONDING MOMENT FOR YOU AND YOUR CHILD JUST TO DO SOMETHING FUN AND SILLY TOGETHER AND GIVE THAT KIND OF PERMISSION THAT THEY DON’T HAVE TO BE KEEPING IT ALL TOGETHER AT ALL TIMES. WE SOMETIMES GET INTO THAT TRAP OF, LET ME ANSWER THIS ONE EMAIL. LET ME JUST SEE WHAT WHAT THESE PEOPLE ARE DOING ON SOCIAL MEDIA. SO WE GET TRAPPED IN THAT. SO JUST MAKING SURE I ALWAYS SAY, I’M GOING TO LOCK MY PHONE FOR TWO HOURS WHEN I GET HOME. SO I HAVE THAT TIME BECAUSE THEY NEED TO ALSO FEEL IMPORTANT IF THEY FEEL IMPORTANT, THEY’RE GOING TO BUILD THEMSELVES UP, RIGHT? THE SELF ESTEEM WILL BE HEALTHY, BUT A LOT OF TIMES WHEN WE ARE LOOKING AT THE PHONE AND THEY’RE TRYING TO ENGAGE US, THEY’RE LIKE, WELL, I’M NOT IMPORTANT, RIGHT? THIS PHONE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN I AM. WE AS THE PARENTS ARE THE EXAMPLE. SO WE HAVE TO BE THAT EXAMPLE AT HOME. WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT WE COULD DO TO KIND OF LIKE HELP THE THE ONES THAT’S DOING THE BULLYING IN SCHOOL, THAT’S CAUSING THE TRAUMA TO THESE OTHER KIDS? I WOULD SAY ESPECIALLY NOW, IT’S MORE DOMINANT BECAUSE OF THE THE EFFECTS OF JUST THE WORLD AND SOCIAL MEDIA AND KIDS JUST CANNOT PROCESS THAT MANY THAT MUCH INFORMATION IN SUCH SHORT TIME, AS MUCH INFORMATION AS THEY’RE GETTING FROM SOCIAL MEDIA AND DIFFERENT SOURCES. UH, ONE OF THE THINGS I WOULD SAY IS THAT FOR BOTH BULLIES AND THOSE THAT ARE THAT ARE BULLYING, IT’S IMPORTANT TO CONTINUE THAT COMMUNICATION TO FIND THAT THAT SOURCE OF WHO IS THE SAFETY FOR THOSE KIDS. RIGHT. BECAUSE AS MUCH AS THEY ARE BULLYING OR BEING BULLIED, IN MANY CASES THEY FEEL ISOLATED. THEY FEEL THAT THEY’RE ALONE. AND AND WE KNOW THAT THOSE HEALTHY OUTCOMES COME FROM
Breaking the stigma of mental health is a top priority for parents
Updated: 8:28 PM EDT Aug 9, 2024
Since the pandemic, there has been an increased focused on mental health. Disturbing statistics show the rise. In 2021, the U.S. surgeon general warned of a growing mental health crisis among people, and for parents, it is a top priority. To break the stigma of mental health, WPBF 25 News sat down with parents and therapists from the Center for Child Counseling in Palm Beach Gardens. Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25 Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.
Since the pandemic, there has been an increased focused on mental health.
Disturbing statistics show the rise. In 2021, the U.S. surgeon general warned of a growing mental health crisis among people, and for parents, it is a top priority.
To break the stigma of mental health, WPBF 25 News sat down with parents and therapists from the Center for Child Counseling in Palm Beach Gardens.
Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25
Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.
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