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Understanding Children and Young People’s Mental Health
How cultural beliefs and social attitudes can affect
expectations of diagnosis of mental health concerns
For the child or young person
For the child or young person, the diagnosis can mean a feeling of being labelled
and growing up thinking that there is something fundamentally wrong with them.
A diagnosis can also mean that the child’s behaviour is viewed only from that
perspective and no other influences or causes are taken into account. People
see only the diagnosis and not the person.
In the UK for example, around 5% of school aged children are thought to have ADHD,
but children and young people living in poorer circumstances are four times more
likely to be diagnosed with this condition.
On the other hand, diagnosis can provide a useful framework to improve understanding
of the experience of mental distress, and in this way, can be a relief. The child or young
person may feel that the diagnosis will enable them to receive more support and
understanding from family and friends.
It’s clear from the quotes above that what others say, do and think plays a key role in
helping or hindering someone with mental ill health.
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