Raising Awareness for Mental Illness in Children #maynicures

STORIbook lovelies,

Today I’m asking you to join me in a campaign. It’s a campaign for our children. For the MINDS of our children.

One in Five Minds is a campaign started by the Clarity Child Guidance Center to raise awareness for mental illness in children. It is also a startling statistic. One in five children suffer from mental illness. AND… only 1 in 5 of those children who suffer from mental, emotional, or behavioral problems actually receive treatment. This is unacceptable in my book.

The month of May is Mental Health Awareness month and I’m asking my readers to join me with a #maynicure representing those children. Please paint four of your nail one color and the 5th nail a different color.

If you’d like to take action or learn more I recommend visiting Clarity Child Guidance Center’s website here. They have some great informative flyers and graphics.

Some Facts:

• 1 in 2 of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by the age of 14.
• Every year in Bexar County 1,300 children were admitted to the hospital ER due to pshychiatric reasons (often no specialized care immediately available).
• 1 in 4 Bexar County children live in poverty.
• 50% of children with serious emotional disturbance drops out of high school.
• Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death from 10-24 year old youth.
• 1 in 2 incarcerated have an undiagnosed mental illness.

The following are some of the warning signs that a child may be struggling with mental illness.

A child is troubled by feeling:

• Really sad and hopeless without good reason, and the feelings don’t go away.
• Very angry most of the time, cries a lot, or overreacts to things.
• Worthless or guilty a lot.
• Anxious or worried a lot more than other young people.
• Grief for a prolonged time after a loss or death.
• Extremely fearful or has unexplained fears or more fears than most children.
• Constantly concerned about physical problems or appearance.
• Frightened that his or her mind is controlled or is out of control.

Experiences big changes, such as:

• Doing much worse in school.
• Losing interest in things he/she usually enjoyed.
• Unexplained changes in sleeping or eating habits.
• Avoiding friends or family and wanting to be alone all the time.
• Daydreaming too much and unable to get things done.
• Feeling that life is too hard to handle or talking about suicide
• Hearing voices that cannot be explained.

Is limited by:

• Poor concentration and can’t make decisions.
• Inability to sit still or focus attention.
• Worry about being harmed, hurting others, or about doing something “bad.”
• The need to wash, clean things, or perform certain routines dozens of times a day.
• Thoughts that race almost too fast to follow.
• Persistent nightmares.

Behaves in ways that cause problems, including:

• Use of alcohol or drugs.
• Eating large amounts of food and then forcing vomiting, abusing laxatives, or taking enemas to avoid weight gain.
• Continuing to diet or exercise obsessively although bone-thin.
• Often hurting other people, destroying property, or breaking the law.
• Doing things that can be life threatening.
• Unexplained cuts and burns.
• Extreme moods.

If you think your child needs help here is some information to assist you. To learn more about this campaign visit: http://www.1in5minds.org.

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Disclaimer: This campaign, One in Five Minds, is an initiative by the Clarity Child Guidance Center and I received compensation for this post. While I did receive compensation I want to say that I truly BELIEVE in this cause and raising awareness about it.