Editorial
| Pages | 85-87 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMH-06-2020-105 |
| Published date | 04 June 2020 |
| Date | 04 June 2020 |
| Author | Woody Caan |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Mental health,Public mental health |
Editorial
Woody Caan
On the morningof Valentines’ Day 2020, I decided to support thelocal “Youth Strike for
Climate” involving hundreds of Cambridge schoolchildren marching out from the
County Council site. As these determined young people set out, I happened to be
standing by the Cambridge RegisterOffice. “Hatch, match and despatch” is a nickname for
an office that registers births, marriages and deaths and the births, marriages and deaths
column of a newspaper. In teachingpublic health, I always encouraged my trainees to take a
lifecourse perspectiveon the determinants of health. The impact of some experiences can be
delayed for years after the salientevent and some cumulative impacts can have a damaging
or protective effecton later health. As I learned from refugees and from young peoplein care,
even one kind and encouragingrelationship can change the trajectory of someone, whohad
felt they were lost andforgotten.
From birth, characteristics of the parents can steer a child’s course. The consequencesof a
mother or father with depression (Psychogiou et al, 2020) or with alcohol dependence
(Stafford and Henriques, 2020) can cast a long shadow, but early intervention makes a
critical difference–if it is available (O’Keefe, 2020).
Recently, it has become clear that the antecedents of criminality happen early in
childhood, not in teenage delinquency (Davis, 2020). About the age of 11years is also a
key period for the antecedents of severe mental illnesses to occur (Laurens et al, 2020).
Children known to self-harm between the ages of 10–18 years have 30 times greater
annual incidences of death by suicide than other young people (Hawton et al, 2020). In
the UK, rates of self-harm are rising at all ages under 30, with a doubling of self-harm in
the past decade (Donnelly, 2020). A sense of identity (e.g. with a famous football team)
often develops at school age and this can include positive developments such as “a
Planetary identity” (Easton, 2020), which many of the climate marchers displayed on this
Valentine’s Day. However, in a context of feeling helpless (“we won’t die of old age, we’ll
die from climate change”), 11year olds can develop climate anxiety severe enough to
need interventions such as the Force of Nature resilience programme (Taylor, 2020). In
general, for children in Britain, there is a huge treatment gap between the rising
prevalence of illness and access to help (Iacobucci, 2020). The Lancet (2020) describes
it rightly as a “crisis” in child mental health services.
Engaging with young people’s needs is not just a matter of enough funding. Countries
with limited clinical resources (such as Kenya and Tanzania: Venkatesan, 2020) have
created services for childhood trauma, and television tailored to young viewers can
promote mental health in relation to hidden problems such as bullying (Ukraine:
Bezpiatchuk, 2020). However, the world needs better evidence, both on the early
determinants of illness or well-being and about effective interventions.I await eagerly for
evidence from the new Institute for Children and Young People’s Mental Health at King’s
College London (see www.slam.nhs.uk/media/news/new-centre-for-children-and-
young-peoples-mental-health).
as Along with trajectories forindividuals, there are also trajectories for communities thatmay
change with new policies. For example, a recent event at the Institute of Alcohol Studies
looked at the way tax revenue is raised and at related government spending on public
services (Mind the Gap. Alcohol and Inequalities, Seminar, London, 18 February 2020). The
natural environment, such as “so many beautiful creatures”, has a big local impact on the
DOI 10.1108/JPMH-06-2020-105 VOL. 19 NO. 2 2020, pp. 85-87, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1746-5729 jJOURNAL OF PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH jPAGE 85
To continue reading
Request your trial