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.

4 pages of comments and not 1 mention of MHSTS or services that work with EMHPS. Low intensity CBT delivered in school and college settings.
They've been around since 2017...why don't people know about them? Shorter waiting lists than CAHMS and earlier intervention.
Or do the earlier successes of talking therapies not fit the idea of an MH crisis?

Talk therapy works for some. Phones are a contributing factor for some. It wouldn't work to just remove the phone because realistically every adult needs a phone or some sort of device so we need to give teenagers the tools to regulate the use of them. Removing the phone is a short term solution, but they would still need something else along side that. It's an addiction - plenty of studies done on how addictive they are. You wouldn't just remove alcohol from an alcoholic and send them on their merry way without other supports!

Agree - said this for years.
CBT was the best thing I ever had.

This shows up utter ignorance about the subject. Should we also refuse care to someone who has MH issue as a result of growing up in poverty untill they manage to "remove poverty"? Should we refuse care to some who has poor mental health due to chronic illness until they cure themselves of autism?
Mobile phones may be a reason but it's not the reason for MH crisis. We've known for some time that it is a biopsychosocial issue which, by definition, involves more than one cause.

I'd be thrilled to be offered talking therapy through the NHS to work through some stuff. Only ever been offered short courses of CBT which is useless and redundant to my situation

I don't think it's the children's use of phones that are the problem. It's their parents. Too busy scrolling to parent. Walk along any street and you'll see parents on phones pushing prams ignoring their kids instead of teaching them about the world around them. The park, soft play, wherever, parents no longer engage with their children because they are addicted to their phones.
You see loads of posts on here from mums saying their partner's sit on their phone all night ignoring their kids.
Parents need to start parenting again but most would rather give their kids a device so they can sit in peace on theirs.

I am a teacher and my diagnosis of what makes kids more anxious and unhappy than in previous generations would be the following:

1. Spending too much time online and social media use. They can't escape from their social anxieties in the family unit, they constantly have a curated version of life to follow which makes them feel inadequate. They spend their time doom scrolling which affects their sleep and ability to get anything done.

1. To be honest, most of the students I see who have something which results in a MH diagnosis, medication or lots of time off school, it's also in some way to do with the parents. Either excessive pressure and micromanaging (even if they mean well), divorced/separated parents who hate each other or people who are not very nice. Or parents who hardly spend any time with them because they work all the time and are distracted and uninterested in their lives when they are at home.

1. Also, increase in kids with SEN, sometimes undiagnosed. I teach in a selective school and when you get the parents in to discuss this, I would say sometimes the parents of undiagnosed autistic kids who are unhappy often present as ND themselves and presumably not diagnosed!

1. Big focus as a society on exam success but also big uncertainty in future prospects. Students worry so much more about exams than they used to. Some parts of the exam system don't help with this - e.g. these big exams at the end of Year 13 which count for their entire grade (thanks Gove).

However, I think 2+3 have always been the case (maybe less the micromanaging) so I think the technology is really the change. That and both parents working/maybe living further from extended family. My parents both worked full time in the 90s and we didn't live near any family and I remember how unusual this was compared to my primary school classmates.

@CdcRuben this is why I said it's hugely underestimated.
Being out in nature from young age is crucial to good mental health. There has been research that shows that our connectedness with nature brings us many benefits including lower levels of anxiety and depression and help us to feel more calm and joy and improve concentration and resilience.
Everyone should be getting outdoors into green spaces regularly. (Exceptions of course)
The nhs has been undertaking green social prescribing in some areas for a while where they support patients to get out in nature to help improve their mental and physical health.

I believe we have created a very unhealthy society but also pathologised normal feelings. Perhaps this is part of what we have created due to social media and the unrealistic expectations it brings and also parents filling every hour of a child's life and them being constantly entertained

I think too that children have been given too much power but not enough freedom to play independent with other children. We have forced adult issues onto children. Demanding specific pronouns is an example, teachers losing jobs for not using correct pronouns. Children need boundaries and to know they are safe and be allowed to play and explore within those boundaries
I also think we start formal education too early

“To be honest, most of the students I see who have something which results in a MH diagnosis, medication or lots of time off school, it's also in some way to do with the parents. Either excessive pressure and micromanaging (even if they mean well), divorced/separated parents who hate each other or people who are not very nice. Or parents who hardly spend any time with them because they work all the time and are distracted and uninterested in their lives when they are at home.”

What an appalling statement.

I agree with all this. We’ve created this unnatural society and environment that doesn’t meet our children’s needs.

I think social media is to blame

@Peskydahlias
Sadly I think this post makes a lot of sense.

@L1ghtP0ur why is op’s statement appalling?

Social media does contribute to the issue, but the primary cause is the lack of stability within the home. Once children arrive, it's concerning to see a clear decline in commitment to creating a loving, nurturing environment for them.

The family is the fundamental social unit where individuals, particularly impressionable children, learn social skills and values that can help them become productive members of society. The more damage the family unit experiences, the more severe the consequences for individuals and society. History shows that the deterioration of family life has significantly contributed to the decline of great empires.

This is where we are: divorce is celebrated, and individualism, selfishness and argumentative attitudes take the place of collaboration, cooperation and commitment.
This is a fundamental problem of structure within the family unit. Both parties are at fault.

The first place children from these relationships encounter in school. No wonder schools are drowning.

The psychologist Jonathan Haidt has written extensively about the negative effects of smartphone and social media usage amongst children and adolescents. It’s not all that good for adult mental health but particularly bad for young people. I think social media and the internet has caused a kind of collective neuroticism which is going to be difficult to tackle as smartphones are so central to our way of life in the modern world. When it comes to mental health, I think we need to look at the whole picture, diet, sleep, movement/exercise, time outside and in nature, how rigid and inflexible our schools have become and helping young people develop resilience and mindfulness. Talking therapy alone is not the answer in my opinion and may encourage young people to ruminate and dwell on their problems, grievances and pathologising normal human emotions like sadness, worry, discomfort and boredom.

Well, there is a lot of evidence that talking therapies word.

I work as a talking therapist with young people and this post nails it.

also talking therapies can’t fix people but 95% of the people I talk to keep all their difficult feelings pushed down inside for fear of upsetting parents or not trusting parents can contain those feelings so talking therapy (but longer term that what is often offered) can help as a starting place for the feelings to come out and be contained by the therapist

Talking therapy doesn't help children and teenagers if nothing changes at home.
If a child needs talking therapy, then it's an indication that the family needs therapy and strategies unless, the child needs therapy for something specific like bereavement, trauma or bullying where the support and lifestyle at home are sound.

Blaming parents and calling them horrible people. Seriously.

The book ‘the anxious generation’ explains it well

A lot of struggling children are ND or have experienced trauma from difficulties such as bullying, abuse….

Parents don’t cause this.

Because people start shouting about the government being a nanny state if things are out in place to help people. Like the sugar tax or Jamie Oliver trying to make school dinners healthier. People don’t want to be told what is good for them

And a teacher not being aware of this is very poor.

But surely this has always been the case? Why has this caused a rise in MH problems now?