Mental health issues for infants and young people

April 23 is designated World Infant, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Day.
Photo : Nicolas Duprey/CD78

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“Supporting adolescent mental health is not just a duty to a significant portion of the population. It is much more about investing in the most promising elements of our society. Raising awareness of the specific needs of children and adolescents and supporting their mental health is an investment in our own future”,

says Professor Mario Speranza, president of the International Society for Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology and member of the scientific council of theIPEA of Versailles.

early intervention is to intervene early in childhood and “before mental health problems set in, when it is more difficult to help the child or adolescent resume a healthy social and emotional development trajectory “, explains Professor Campbell Paul, president of the WAIMH*.

Indeed, adds Professor Daniel Fung, President of IACAPAP*:

Studies of adults with mental and physical illnesses have also shown that negative childhood experiences can have lasting effects later in life.

Mental disorders appear before the age of 25

Childhood and adolescence are founding years and, ideally, a time of growth, learning, and carefree exploration. However, many children experience trauma and crises – negative experiences that research has shown impact mental and physical health across the lifespan.

Research has also shown that most mental disorders develop during childhood and adolescence (before the age of 25).

The negative experiences experienced during childhood are also factors that contribute to the development of mental disorders adulthood.

Indirect effects The cumulative effects of this situation result in an increasing economic burden for societies, particularly in terms of the use of health care and loss of productivity.

Promotion and prevention

This world day aims to recognize the importance of infant, child and adolescent mental health and plead for the promotion mental health and prevention mental illnesses in young people:

• Improve the sensitization of the global public to infant, child and adolescent mental health.
• Create knowledge and skills in infant, child and adolescent mental health promotion, and reduce stigma mental disorders in these populations.
• Improve the diagnosis, treatment and prevention mental disorders of infants, children and adolescents through international cooperation and understanding.
• Reaching countries with few resources to train infant, child and adolescent mental health professionals.

World Infant, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Day (WICAMHD)

The International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Related Professions (IACAPAP), the International Society for Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology (ISAPP), the World Association for Infant Mental Health (WAIMH) and the World Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (WPA-CAP) have jointly declared April 23, World Day for Infant, Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

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