Talking therapy won't solve the mental health crisis

[dreamydell]

There's a mental health cross among children and young people. What's the only solution that's ever suggested? Talking therapy.

This is ridiculously expensive to deliver en masse and there is no evidence that it even works.

Instead of endless calls for more therapy, can we start looking at some real solutions. And don't say banning smartphones/social media. If anyone seriously thought that was the cause of poor mental health then the first line of treatment would be remove a person's phone. This costs nothing so would be a cheap and effective intervention.

Could they refuse treatment until smartphone use is stopped or reduced? What's the point of the treatment if the cause is not addressed? It won't work.

That's if we actually believe smartphones are the cause. I'm saying that although they get blamed, no one who works in the field seriously believes they are the cause of poor mental health. Otherwise it would be utterly pointless to offer treatments while smartphone use continues.

I've hosted a couple of Workaway volunteers from Waldorf schools and they had lots of confidence and common sense (I know two is not representative of the entire system!).

You can of course pay for Waldorf or other different type of education for your child. You can even home ed (in this country. Not everywhere). I assumed you were talking about education systems as a whole - the system that's planned and paid for by governments.

Someone has linked a book above which summarises it all. It’s a very well known issue.

If I had my phone forcibly removed I would be in heaven.

OP, you ask a lot of questions and then aggressively refute everyone’s attempts to answer. Do you have anything to contribute yourself?

That's certainly true to an extent and I agree education in such techniques can help, but if those feelings are caused by sociopolitical realities, persuading someone to reframe thoughts can feel like a form of gaslighting.

Lack of exercise
Lack of nature
Too much phone use and gaming
Not enough time with engaged family members because they're all on their phones too.
Phones are a big problem. I know myself that when I take my ds phone off him (he can't self regulate) he's a changed child. He's much less stressed, happier and engaged.

The other problem is the lack of outdoors time in nature. Being out in nature is hugely underestimated. It brings many benefits and kids just aren't exposed to it enough.

Kids who spend a lot of times outdoors seem to be mentally and physically healthier.

Two things I've noticed since the MH Crisis:

📈 Increase in screens, especially phones and SM
📉 Decrease in kids in casts

As one poster said the other day, "you can't autograph my crippling anxiety".

I haven't heard anyone say that talking therapies alone will solve the MH crisis. That is way too simplistic and we all know it.

If young people meet the criteria for CAMHS then it means that their mental health difficulties are having a significant impact on their functioning and often their difficulties are complex.

Of course that often requires a more holistic approach and not just therapy alone. I am not seeing people advocate for 'just' providing talking therapies to every young person, so I am not entirely sure why you are asking the question.

I mean, of all the treatments, talk therapy is abs good as the others, generally. Putting everyone on drugs that mostly aren't effective isn't great either.

Clearly, addressing causes would be best, but no one wants to talk about that. Those things are hard.

I feel like mental health is largely caused by social media but you can’t take away phones because society is now built in such a way that basically everyone needs to use them daily.

Complete investigation into the failure of schools and the explosion in bullying. It’s not accidental

My daughter had 1:1 trauma therapy for nearly a year through CAHMS. It was through Mindworks. She was extremely lucky to get it. It was amazing, and she when finished, she managed to compartmentalize and rationalize her thoughts/ flashbacks, has better self esteem and is thriving. She was very fortunate as didn't have to wait, because it was a severe MH problem. It was 1:1 sessions for as long as she needed. Before that she has 2 blocks of general CAHMS counselling, but as it didn't work that well she had this specialist counseling.
Unfortunately getting this support for every young person would be impossible, and cost the earth!

The majority of mental health struggles were not acknowledged or treated in previous generations it didn't mean that they didn't exist or that children and adolescents didn't suffer at that age and in later life. Surely the "increase" in mental health struggles is due to the fact that we are more willing to accept that they exist and take them seriously, this seems very obvious to me. When I read posts saying that the problem is parents who baby their children etc..it reminds me of the bad old days when children's feelings simply didn't count and those who were suffering were shamed and punished for showing "weakness".

Generic CBT administered by poorly trained staff definitely wont. Access to the right targeted treatment and therapies administered by highly trained professionals will.

Bevause they can't insist on anything - they don't have any powers. They can advise, and obviously do, if devices are suspected to be contributing to the MH struggles of the individuals they are supporting.

Cos parents would be crying out it's against their human rights.

Kids really can't have the freedom childhood of playing in the street because of the sheer amount of cars.
Maybe parents are listening more to children and acknowledging MH. We have generations in my family with severe MH problems many previously ended up in asylums.
My father had an anecdote that I was the first woman not to be put in the nut house in his dad's family after having a baby. Well closing them all down was probably a factor in that and more help from health visitors etc. it wasn't that it didn't happen.

The crisis really is the lack of help, understanding and waiting lists.

I don’t think it’s this. It’s bigger than that. When we were in school I remember one girl in a year group of 100 with a diagnosis. Looking back there were probably 5 more that would have a diagnosis today.

we work, and have worked closely for 20+ years with our local college as a work experience provider. There is an explosion of young people with anxiety and depression followed closed with ADHD. I can’t remember the last time we had an applicant without an issue. What has changed is the reliance on tech and the lack of social skills. These aren’t Mumsnet kids who’ve been taken to swimming and learned an instrument. They have been left on their screens and cannot self regulate. They can’t get up for work at 8am. They can’t speak on the phone, they text and think that’s acceptable. They can’t look people in the eye, shake hands or hold a conversation. I’m quite worried for our society at the moment as I think it’s a huge juggernaut coming down the tracks.

Pressure of expectation -peer pressure, exam pressure etc
Poor examples set by adults
Lack of freedom
Lack of exercise
Lack of fresh air
Lack of downtime
Overcrowding
Poor diet
Drugs

We are middle class and have one extremely anxious DD.

i always worked but part time/ I have fiends with anxious kids who were SAHM

i am a bit left field and wonder about epigenetics and the mass use of antibiotics at birth, during breastfeeding from the 1980s onwards damaging the gut. Coincides with the rise in allergies and autoimmunity in kids too. This is where I would start