Support the Mental Health Needs of Texas Children
- by: Texas Association of Infant Mental Health (TAIMH) & Texas Office for Prevention of Developmental Disabilities (TOPDD)
- recipient: State of Texas
In support of Children’s Mental Health Awareness week, May 6-12th, 2012, we ask you to stand with us and pledge to raise awareness of the mental health and wellness needs of all Texas children and their families.
For many, it is easier to identify children’s physical needs (i.e. nutritious food, warm clothes when it is cold, bedtime at a reasonable hour, etc.) than to understand the importance of their mental health. Although a child’s mental and emotional needs may not be as observable, good mental health allows children to think clearly, develop socially and learn new skills. Children need positive relationships with adults and caregivers in their lives in order to develop self-confidence, perform well in school, and to get along with others.
Every child has mental health needs and, unfortunately, Texas is ranked 34th in the country for overall child well-being. (1) This is unacceptable. Our children deserve better and we urge others to join us in putting children first. Here are some reasons why it is now more important than ever to promote, protect and provide adequate funding for this imperative public health issue:
* Good social and emotional health is essential to overall health and well-being of all children.
* Encouragement of positive relationships in families is a valuable prevention mechanism for children’s wellness.
* Children and youth with mental health challenges and their families deserve access to services and supports that are family-driven, youth-guided and culturally appropriate (4).
* Positive interactions between adults and children and values of acceptance, respect and social inclusion should be promoted throughout all communities for children, youth and families.
* More than 14 million children and adolescents in the United States, (1 in 5), have a diagnosable mental health disorder that requires intervention or monitoring and interferes with daily functioning.(3)
* We all pay the price of living in a society in which children’s mental health is ignored.
* There are over 4 million children under the age of 11 in the great state of Texas. (2)
Addressing the complex mental health needs of Texas children, youth, and families is imperative for the future of our state, and we cannot afford the consequences of ignoring this family, public health, and societal issue. We must stand together to see that the mental health and wellness needs of all Texas children are met. Our children deserve it.
Please join us by signing on to this statement and sharing it with others. Stand with us in the call to action for all Texans to make a conscious decision about the future of our state; putting our children first and adopting a no-tolerance approach to ignoring the pressing mental health needs of our children and youth.
1) KIDS COUNT Data Center, Annie E. Casey Foundation. 2011, Center for Public Policy Priorities. Available online: http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/acrossstates/Default.aspx
2) NACCRRA, 2011 http://www.naccrra.org/randd/data/docs/TX.pdf
3) US Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS). Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office; 2000. Available online:: www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/home.html
4) National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health: http://ffcmh.org/national-childrens-mental-health-awareness-week/
In support of Children’s Mental Health Awareness week, May 6-12th, 2012, we ask you to stand with us and pledge to raise awareness of the mental health and wellness needs of all Texas children and their families.
For many, it is easier to identify children’s physical needs (i.e. nutritious food, warm clothes when it is cold, bedtime at a reasonable hour, etc.) than to understand the importance of their mental health. Although a child’s mental and emotional needs may not be as observable, good mental health allows children to think clearly, develop socially and learn new skills. Children need positive relationships with adults and caregivers in their lives in order to develop self-confidence, perform well in school, and to get along with others.
Every child has mental health needs and, unfortunately, Texas is ranked 34th in the country for overall child well-being. (1) This is unacceptable. Our children deserve better and we urge others to join us in putting children first. Here are some reasons why it is now more important than ever to promote, protect and provide adequate funding for this imperative public health issue:
* Good social and emotional health is essential to overall health and well-being of all children.
* Encouragement of positive relationships in families is a valuable prevention mechanism for children’s wellness.
* Children and youth with mental health challenges and their families deserve access to services and supports that are family-driven, youth-guided and culturally appropriate (4).
* Positive interactions between adults and children and values of acceptance, respect and social inclusion should be promoted throughout all communities for children, youth and families.
* More than 14 million children and adolescents in the United States, (1 in 5), have a diagnosable mental health disorder that requires intervention or monitoring and interferes with daily functioning.(3)
* We all pay the price of living in a society in which children’s mental health is ignored.
* There are over 4 million children under the age of 11 in the great state of Texas. (2)
Addressing the complex mental health needs of Texas children, youth, and families is imperative for the future of our state, and we cannot afford the consequences of ignoring this family, public health, and societal issue. We must stand together to see that the mental health and wellness needs of all Texas children are met. Our children deserve it.
Please join us by signing on to this statement and sharing it with others. Stand with us in the call to action for all Texans to make a conscious decision about the future of our state; putting our children first and adopting a no-tolerance approach to ignoring the pressing mental health needs of our children and youth.
1) KIDS COUNT Data Center, Annie E. Casey Foundation. 2011, Center for Public Policy Priorities. Available online: http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/acrossstates/Default.aspx
2) NACCRRA, 2011 http://www.naccrra.org/randd/data/docs/TX.pdf
3) US Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS). Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office; 2000. Available online:: www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/home.html
4) National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health: http://ffcmh.org/national-childrens-mental-health-awareness-week/
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