We Are in a Mental Health Melt Down
JULIA GROVER-BARREY OTR/L
FOUNDER OF IN-TUNED®
We can do better…I can do better.
75% of mental illness begins in childhood and adolescence, with 30% of the world population between the ages of 15 and 44 years old contributing to the global burden of disease secondary to diagnosed mental disorders (Merikangas et al, 2009).
Think about it this way: 30% of the world’s population is not engaging in productive and consistently meaningful lives because they are mentally ill. That is just too many people.
According to the World Health Organization negative experiences in early life are a main contributor to mental ill health and most children who need help do not receive intervention of any kind.
Early childhood stressors occurring at home, school and on-line produce dysregulation of the hypothalamus pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis leading to higher levels of circulating cortisol in the brain and body, negatively impacting health on all levels (Gerritsen et al, 2016), but really screwing over the nervous system…which is also the immune system…they are one and the same.
Lack of attention, motivation, self-regulation and mood issues are common, and some of the tell-tale signs of mental ill health requiring intervention. And by intervention I don’t just mean medication or the opening of an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) at school. Effective intervention needs to open, refresh and reorganize the nervous system. To do that we need to do more than what we’ve been doing, our modern approach…quite frankly…is ineffective.
On a theoretical, ideological and conversational level I think we recognize the importance of good mental health, yet there is a gap between early recognition and need, versus available and effective resources.
We can do better. We can innovate around the topic of good mental health for our youth and come up with some unique interventions. I am attaching a flyer of a private school created by professionals who want to do just that: innovate to provide children with another way of learning.
I can do better. I may have graduated from Dalhousie School of Occupational Therapy 32 years ago, but I continue to educate myself on all things related to the nervous system, movement and good mental health. I am starting my second year in a Master of Applied Neuroscience at King’s College London and at the same time expanding my practice to include social communication and executive function skills groups based on action and movement for ages 12-14 years and 15-17 years. My community needs this. Once I have my new studio opened I will be offering trainings for others who want to learn from me so you can innovate in your community and keep things moving in a more effective direction for the benefit of us all.
Let’s do better,
Julia