Dozens of people gathered Friday in Waterloo for what is believed to have been the first national conference on children’s mental health.
According to the Ontario Medical Association, nearly 500,000 children in Ontario have struggled with some aspect of mental health – or about one in five children.
The conference, hosted by Lutherwood, is just one sign of an increasing focus being placed on the mental well-being of children.
“People used to say that once you’re four or five, whatever happens to you, your brain has been set and there’s nothing we could do,” says Dr. Karen Leslie, a pediatrician at the Hospital for Sick Children.
“What we know now is that adolescent brains are developing into their twenties.”
But as encouraging as that sounds, other subjects discussed at the conference paint a much harsher picture of the situation for some children.
One study cited shows that children display heightened activity levels in certain parts of the brain – activities that match those displayed by soldiers who have experienced combat.
Other research shows a possible link between what children witness in the home and how their mental faculties develop.
For example, the mental health effect of children being exposed to domestic violence at home can be severe and long-lasting.
On the more positive side, exposure to a family that demonstrates togetherness can have a positive effect on reducing bad behaviour in children.
“There’s some research … suggesting that family obligations and participating in family activities may be helpful in curbing some of this behaviour,” says Michelle Jetha, a professor at McMaster University.
Lutherwood says as positive as recent developments in the study of children’s mental health like these have been, much more work is still needed.
