VIDEO: Public mental health education essential for young people

Key takeaways:

• Educating people about mental health may help prevent or treat mental illness among children and young people.
• Education should involve indicators of and action items for mental illness.

SAN FRANCISCO — Providing educational resources to people who serve as authority figures in the lives of children and young people may enable prevention and earlier treatment of mental illness, a presenter here said.

With half of psychiatric disorders beginning by age 14 years and 75% arising by age 26 years, it is important for people who may have an impact on children — such as parents and caregivers, clergy, coaches, teachers, law enforcement officers, attorneys and policymakers — to understand the indicators of mental illness, when to worry and how to address these issues when they arise.

In this video exclusive at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting, Khadijah Booth Watkins, MD, MPH, associate director of the Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital, highlights what should be done to address mental health in children and young people.

Reference:

• Beresin EV, et al. Fostering wellbeing, building resilience and preventing mental illness in young people: The role of public mental health education. Presented at: American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting; May 20-24, 2023; San Francisco.