Why Is Children's Mental Health Important?

It sounds like a simple statement right.. “Why is a children’s mental health important?” We shouldn’t really have to ask ourselves this. But we have to. 

Why is it important to keep an eye on it early on? 

How do schools affect children’s mental health?

Why should we look at children’s mental health and wellbeing? 

Here’s some terrifying facts for you from the New Zealand health census of 2018/2019. . . 8% of children have difficulties with their feelings, 7% are borderline. This is up 10% from the year before’s census. Anxiety and ADHD are the leading causes and largest contributor to mental health struggles in children. And this was taken from 3 - 14-year-olds! My golly… 

• 38% of females are depressed in New Zealand 
• 23% of males are depressed in New Zealand. 
• One in Five young teenagers self-harm
• ONLY 92% of people just say… “I’m okay” 

Why are our children only ‘okay’… Communication breakdown. Throughout Neurological Integration System treatments we have found predominately that mental health is a BIG underlying issue to the behaviours that are occurring, poor emotional control and immune system to be lowered. THIS IS WHY WE HAVE THESE PROBLEMS IN SOCIETY. It can be quite difficult to understand a child and what exactly they are feeling. Often we fin, in Neuro Touch, that mental health is strongly linked to

• 71% have poor hemispheric control. This is lack of communication through the left and right brain causing confusion and frustration. 
• 81% struggle with their digestive systems and good appetites. Also the same percentage will have a lower immune system with constant bugs ruling their life. 
• 89% do not understand how to feel valued or appreciated (this can be poor serotonin and dopamine control or not understanding their own personalities and stress triggers) 
• 92% we find hormonal control is lost and not optimised, causing the child to become moody and emotional. 

And why do these seem to be a regular issue occurring when dealing with mental health and children? In hormones our hypothalamus is our stress parachute, the overdrive when the nervous system is in overload (learn more at https://www.neurotouch.co.nz/blog/when-anxiety-depression-take-over-what-next), imagine being in an insidious stress mode with all organs in stress and body systems run down - not good. Our digestive system is important as in stress proteins and fats cannot be broken down and then this leads to poor metabolisms or eating  problems when in long-term insidious stress. The small intestines controlling 90% of our digestive processes can sometimes shut down and lead to stomach issues and pains due to pH imbalance - foods cannot breakdown. “Why has my child always got a sore stomach?”. The immune system insult comes as it is stressed to maintain blood pH that is needed to take in minerals around the body - achy joints occur. “Is it really ‘growing pains’?” Not to mention constantly being sick! The right brain controls all our creative thinking, the left brain is all our details, the here and now. If these hemispheres struggle to share communication across then this is where you get frustrated, confused, and tired children. They cannot understand why they have a low self esteem, distorted success or questioning their abilities constantly - due to not being able to understand sound and sight simultaneously.  Struggling to be present can take away their passion and focus/concentration. Hemispheric confusion links to inability to couple cognition and understand their intuition to control their thinking and understand all options. OUR CHILDREN ARE EXHAUSTED… wouldn’t you be tired trying to work out why these things are always occurring? 

It’s okay to be okay, but there is a point where it is okay to ask for help… And not just for your children but for you too! Notice these occurrence in your child, have you had similar occurring too? 

We can explain why your child may be feeling like this. Why they potentially do not notice their little nervous twitches. Why they don’t want to eat or always have that sore tummy. Geopathetic stress and environmental stress is no longer the big issue here. It is within our communication breakdown in our selves that is the big issue and the main point of difference!

Head to our booking page if you would like to make an apt for your children today! Or alternatively, carry on reading for some ’take home’ tips.

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So there are some things we can look out for in our children, start to understand and see links to the behaviours and events that are occurring. But what are something you can do at home to help? 

Minerals and children’s mental health - ZINC! Good for hormonal balancing, pop some pumpkin seeds into their diet. OMEGA 3! Works with the brain and fatty links between neural pathways, add some fish or krill into the diet.  MAGNESIUM! Every gland in the body needs this one, find some in walnuts, apricots and apples. 

Gargle water! Using these muscles will exercise and strengthen the nervous system to handle stress easier

Play a game, tell your children that their body’s and brain’s are covered in roads and this is how everything communicates. Where do all their roads seem to be? Consciously aware of where the issues may be starting.. Might even be outside the body!