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Introduction

Mental health is a crucial part of the public healthcare. It is therefore crucial to have policies that address mental health issues in the society. For the larger part, the society often ignore the severity of mental health among school; going children and teenagers which not only affects the quality of their lives but also affects their adult life and social wellbeing. In an effort to guarantee successive healthy generations, it is crucial to assess the state of teenage mental health its effect the larger public healthcare (Merikangas et al., 2010). This paper recognizes that there is a gap in teenage mental health programs because they mostly focus behaviors that relate to academic matters. The following is an evaluation of a program that could help repurpose and refocus teenage mental healthcare.

Mental health among children plays a vital role in the development of children. It is also an indicator of coping skills, social development, and emotional milestones (Costello et al., 2003). Similarly, children and teenagers with a good mental health have enjoy a high quality of life because in a broader social setting improving their ability to form better and gainful relationships both at home and in schools. Consequentially, mental health among children forms an integral part of the public healthcare system and should be assessed with the seriousness it deserves. Costello et al., 2003 note that poor mental health in children and teenagers can result to unwanted behavior such as substance abuse, violence, and unwanted peer behavior. However, the problem starts with the lack of adequate programs that target mental health issues in children and teenagers. Apart from difficulties in the social environment, teenagers and children with mental health problems are susceptible to other health conditions that affect the general wellbeing of teenagers (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2010). The challenge is compounded by the fact that many of the children who suffer mental issues struggle with chronic issues. This shows that the life of such children is under threat from two fronts.

The major issue at the epicenter of this problem is that there lacks a program, that directly targets mental health issues in children. This is sad because it has far-reaching implications because the problems of mental health among children are likely to persist into adulthood. This could affect not only the public health of the US but also the economy as the costs related to dealing with increasing mental conditions will be high.

Way Forward

While there is no silver bullet approach, to dealing with the issue at hand, it paramount to note that addressing the issues of mental health in children and teenagers will have far reaching ramifications across the public health sector. The ideal approach in dealing with this issue is to develop policies at all levels of government to address the issue. The CDC should liaise government health services and departments in training personnel and developing policies that will be used by academic in private practice, public hospitals, and learning institutions to assess teenagers’ mental health issues. Similarly, professional associations should be welcomed to give their take of the issue creating a collaborative environment in tackling the issue at hand. Such programs should also impart basic skills in parents to assess indicators of poor mental health in children and seek required help. Finally, there is need to streamline the healthcare system such that health insurance can cover mental health assessment in children. This approach will guarantee a positive outcome in mental health for teenagers.

References

US Department of Health and Human Services, (2010). Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau. The mental and emotional well-being of children: a portrait of states and the nation 2007. Rockville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services.

Merikangas KR, He JP, Burstein M, et al., (2010). Lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in U.S. adolescents: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication—Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry; 49:980–9.

Costello, E., J., Mustillo, S., Erkanli, A., Keeler, G., Angold, A., (2010). Prevalence and development of psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence. Arch Gen Psychiatry; 60:837–44.