Stakeholders Task Parents On Detection Of Mental Health Issues

Parents and caregivers have been tasked to give their children appropriate attention and respond to their needs within their resources to prevent envy, theft and psychological imbalance as they grow into adulthood.

This was part of the issues of concern discussed during a one-day seminar on the “Emotional and Mental Wellbeing of Children and Adolescents” organised by Positive Pathways Initiative at the weekend in Kano.

The seminar was aimed at promoting the mental wellbeing of children and had in attendance government representatives, teachers, parents, CSOs and community leaders.

Speaking during her presentation on the topic, “Mental Health Of An African Child,” senior registrar, Department of Psychiatric, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Dr Agatha Ade Lawal, pointed out that, some parents allow their children to suffer due to traditional beliefs such as spiritual attacks while many of the children and cases can be helped with medications and behavioural therapy.

According to her, if the young ones don’t get help at a young age, the illness progresses as they grow till adulthood and they may not function well like other kids.

“Family conflict, becoming a bully, school dropouts, poor grades in school, involving in criminal activity, suicide tendencies, becoming loners at home/school, diminished interest, weight gain or loss or becoming fearful are some of the characteristics of children who are left untreated,” she noted.

Dr Lawal said some of the common mental illness among children and adolescents include emotional disorders such as anxiety, somatoform, depressive disorder; behavioural disorders such as oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, attention deficit hyper disorder (ADHD); Psychosis; mental retardation, autism, epilepsy, speech disorder and learning disabilities, noting that early detection and treatment would go a long way to reduce risk.

In her remarks, the Kano State commissioner for women affairs, children and the disabled, Hajiya Aisha Lawan Saji, called on parents and caregivers to avoid abusing their children physically, emotionally and sexually, stressing that, it is their responsibility to give these children the needed care and love and not to be pushed away.

While commending the organisers for complementing the state government effort in uplifting the status of children and adolescents in the state, she urged them and other CSOs to sustain the tempo and ensure they reach out to more communities across the 44 local government areas of the state by augmenting the gaps identified as a result of shortage of practitioners.

Earlier in her welcome address, the executive director of Positive Pathways Initiative, Ruqayya Umar Tofa, said the seminar is aimed at creating awareness and educating parents and teachers on the importance of mental wellbeing of children and early diagnosis, as well as to make them understand that early negative experiences in homes and schools such as violence, bullying, molestation, harsh words or threats as well as mental illness of a caregiver can increase the risk of mental illnesses in children and adolescents.