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Understanding Children and Young People’s Mental Health

Mental illness can be seen in some cultures through a religious or spiritual framework,
where such illnesses bring shame and stigma to a family and are taboo subjects as
a result. A diagnosis is that these cases may well make the situation worse for the
child or young person.

A diagnosis can be experienced positively, as a way of giving the problem a name, or
negatively, as a way of labelling the child or young person. In either case, the families
may be very wary of telling others about the diagnosis in case they are excluded
socially as a result.

A psychiatric diagnosis of a mental health condition or disorder can, however, bring
some benefits to the family or carers of the child or young person. In certain cases,
the formal diagnosis may mean entitlement to additional help, support and benefits
that may ease the burden on a family.

Diagnosis could provide a helpful framework for individuals to understand and be
able to explain their experiences of mental distress. Some participants described
the experience of receiving a diagnosis as ‘a relief’ to finally know what was ‘wrong
with them’. They felt that a diagnosis helped to legitimise their experience of mental
distress and it enabled them to gain more support and understanding from family and
friends. Diagnosis also provided a means for people to externalise their experiences
rather than feeling they were personally responsible for them. It was helpful for them
to understand their distressing experiences as being a product of an illness that was
something separate from the self.

For some families, it can be a relief to have a name for the mental health problems
their child is experiencing. The diagnosis helps them to explain why the child
behaves as they do.

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