To think the Princess of Wales is wrong and the years that need more support and funding are the teenage years with the 18-25 year group being the most needy.

[Alice1land35543]

Having access to private mental health support , education and all that being rich entails alongside having not experienced the teenage years I don’t think the P of W is fully informed or right.

Teens are facing huge pressures( more than ever before) and mental health struggles are soaring. Services are beyond stretched and what little there is is broken and unable to cope. Schools are struggling, paediatric wards bursting, families are on their knees and continuously battling. When unwell teens reach 18 there is nothing but a cliff edge into zero support and they are abandoned. The brain doesn’t finish developing until 25.

“If we are going to tackle the sorts of complex challenges we face today like homelessness, violence and addiction, which are so often underpinned by poverty and poor mental health, we have to fully appreciate those most preventative years and do everything we can to nurture our children and those who care for them”.

No Kate we need to focus on the years children are struggling the most, fund mental health treatment and support properly and ensure that provision for 18-25 year olds is mandatory in every trust. Early years get plenty already. Teens and parents of teens get next to nothing so why the focus on early years yet again? Maybe the teenage years and 18/25 group aren’t so media appealing.

As an aside rich celebrities jumping on the mental health bandwagon saying let’s talk about mental health and just reach out is not the answer. Those struggling with mental health can’t reach out because there is nothing to reach out to and it’s not that simplistic. That however is a whole other thread.

It's not a competition.

Intervention and early support in life is key but doesn't stop all issues.

One reason why children centres were set up. Then they got cut

You could go on to say that the older generation need help , veterans, those living with mental health ... the list goes on.

Good on Princess of Wales who appears to have a genuine interest.

I’m so sorry you and your family are going through a difficult time OP.

I think you’re underestimating how much life with young children has changed though. Covid was awful, all the informal networks of play groups etc shut down. SureStart centres are gone. Many good childcare providers are gone. Costs of remaining childcare is through the roof. Younger families are likely to struggle more with money and housing. Maternity services are on their knees. I’ve noticed the difference from having my daughter 7 years ago with what friends are going through now.

The situation is also awful with teens and mental health services across the board I agree. But I don’t think it should ever be and either or situation.

I think she is right. I thought various studies have shown that early intervention in primary school age children can prevent later issues with mental health, addiction, substance abuse, prison, violence etc.

That doesn't mean that teens now dont need help. But its much harder to unpick complex issues in older teens than try and prevent them happening for the next generation of teens

She's not wrong. Giving help will help prevent it in later life.

No ClaphamSouth the bullshit is “they need the help now because of their experiences then.”

In the early years*

I think Kate is right...early intervention

Emmamoo89

Not what we’re seeing. Many mental health difficulties are being caused by pressures on families and teenagers now, a lack of support for parenting teens and the absence of proper treatment by professionals for mental health when it is needed. Many of the current pressures on both weren’t even in existence when they were under 5.

Research shows that what you do in the early years has an effect on your later years, including the teen stage.
I wish she had enough influence to change the way early years settings are funded. I work in a preschool which has been rated outstanding by ofsted. We are likely to close down soon because we cannot get qualified staff to work here. Early years staff are paid just above minimum wage, despite many of us having degrees in early childhood education. If the job we do is as important as research suggests, pay us properly and show us some respect.

I was at a meeting some years ago that a psychologist spoke at. They said people bring their children along and say something is wrong with them and something is wrong with them but quite often it’s the family that are the issue and it started with a dynamic in the family when the child was tiny.

The current crisis has been worsened by the pandemic and social media which leads to social contagion such as the sites that encourage eating disorders. Plus with bullying when the door closed it was over after school, now it isn’t. Even if your child does not have access to devices at home they know other kids are messaging each other stuff. The world constantly changes and every generation has an opinion on the next and vice versa but the rapid changes due to social media in the last 20 years are like no other and we have no model for them, no long term research, this generation are in the experimental stage regarding impact.

I agree with you OP. I work in these services and after people turn 18 they get kicked to the kerb over and over again. There is a great need for more services for young adults. Yes prevention is better than cure but we need a safety net for those for whom prevention wasn’t enough.

The foundation has been in place since June last year. The key focus is on research, campaign and raising awareness. Certainly raising awareness is working if this thread is anything to go by . Whether you recognise it or not, the Princess of Wales has a profile and a platform and her using it to raise awareness can surely only be a good thing.

Not if it’s inappropriate and the wrong group that needs to be focused on. It really highlights how out of touch they are.

I think she has a say in which charities she aligns herself to yes. But of course she has people writing for her.

I totally agree with her. You see the effects of poor early years in teen years. Teens needing support are really the horses that bolted from the stable. If you can give care, support, love and reduce the effects of poverty for early years you can prevent far more.

Most of the stories of killers and criminals seem to have a disordered early childhood with abuse, neglect and poverty being key factors.

@yoyy that's her aim

You seem to just want to be disgruntled about her efforts to be honest.

@Jaffacakeorisitabiscuit so it hasn't lead to any change just a vague notion of awareness because no one was aware before June 21 that EYs needed more attention? The press release for the centre says it "aims “to transform society for generations to come". Quite an aim! Do you think it will achieve that?

As a said look what Marcus Rashford achieved in months.

I agree she has a platform but if you look at the Daily Mail article which is often sycophantic it hardly generated any awareness.

All a bit futile imo but you can disagree 🤷🏻‍♀️

@Teadrinkingmumofone I just think it's incredibly pointless & it is mainly propaganda. Don't have anything against her as a person.

This.

Where are your statistics to support this? The majority of teens with a good family support and sense of self will weather the teen years. They have never been easy times.

Teens need support and a society that stops pressurising them via social media. Poor mental health is exacerbated by SM and regulations need to be put into place.

Early years intervention and help for teens are not mutually exclusive, and the PoW is concentrating on one end of the spectrum.

It's 2022 & we have social media I don't think you particularly need Royals to raise "awareness". All a bit archaic really.

username8888

“I totally agree with her. You see the effects of poor early years in teen years. Teens needing support are really the horses that bolted from the stable. If you can give care, support, love and reduce the effects of poverty for early years you can prevent far more.

Most of the stories of killers and criminals seem to have a disordered early childhood with abuse, neglect and poverty being key factors.”

That really is insulting to those families struggles with struggling teens and shows a complete lack of understanding and ignorance as to mental health difficulties and the current situation with mental health amongst teens.

Agreed. So much research has gone into the early years providing the foundation for the person. A loved, well-fed, well-stimulated, socialised young child is so much more likely to grow into a healthy, hardworking well-socialised teen and adult.

She's right though and backed up by research. The right interventions 0-5 reduce the issues later in life for example in the 18-25 bracket you mention. Stating something factual does not negate your point that all ages of children have been adversely affected by lockdown, but your partisan approach is not helpful at all. It's actually shocking that you'd advocate for removing the tiny amount of support given to under 5s, mostly from self funding charities, because you feel your cause is more important, rather than seeing that what she is advocating for will help future teens.

If my dd had mental health support aged 8 when she first started struggling with anxiety, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't of gone on to try and take her life aged 11.