Reducing risk of mental disorders by developing children's coping skills

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Reducing Risk of Mental Disorders by Developing Children's Coping Skills Mental disorders are often quite debilitating, unrelenting and exhausting health conditions. Many of these conditions or some of their symptoms are often witnessed in childhood or adolescence with a proclivity to endure these problems even in adulthood. Therefore, it becomes essential to pay attention to the overall well-being of the mental health of children by the holistic development of coping skills to manage stress related to biological and other changes. With the significant expansion in the literature on the prevalence of mental disorders affecting children and adolescents over the years, several mental health programs have been implemented at the regional, state or national level. Moreover, these programs are playing a pivotal role by delivering a number of positive results. Schools play an important role in children’s holistic development by enhancing their cognitive-behavioral skills, such as building camaraderie with peers, social interactions, emotional control, behavioral expectations, physical and ethical development, etc. Because children and adolescents spend the greater part of their day at their schools, the embedment of mental health services in the school curriculum ensures continuum of care that improves mental health, as well as academic peformance. Mental health programs instill positive behavioral skills Almost 90 percent of individuals who develop a mental disorder display warning signs in their adolescence, with an estimated 13 percent of underage youths experiencing serious mental health issues. If these psychological stressors remain unaddressed, they run the risk of persisting in adulthood and aggravating further. A study published in Harvard Review of Psychiatry suggests that school-based mental health programs offer both short-term and long-term benefits. The study, led by J. Michael Murphy (Ed.D.) working with Massachusetts General Hospital, examined school-based mental health programs implemented on a large scale and measured special mental health outcomes to assess the prevalence of mental health problems. Encompassing over 27 million students over a span of a decade, the researchers found that these programs were effective in reducing anxiety, improving reading scores, reducing bullying at school,

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