Comfort Ibrahim
Parents and caregivers have been tasked to give their children the appropriate attention and respond to their needs within their little available resources to prevent envy, theft, and psychological imbalance as they grow into adulthood.
This was part of the issues of concerns discussed during a one-day seminar on the Emotional and Mental Wellbeing of Children and Adolescents organized by Positive Pathways Initiative at the weekend in Kano.
The seminar was aimed at promoting the mental well-being of children and had in attendance government representatives, teachers, parents, CSOs, and Community leaders.
Speaking during her presentation on the topic, the mental health of an African child, Senior Registrar, Department of Psychiatric, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Dr. Agatha Ade Lawal pointed out that, some parents allow their children to suffer due to traditional beliefs such as spiritual attacks while many of the children and cases can be help with medications and behavioral therapy.
According to her, if these young ones don’t get help at a young age, the illness progresses as they grow till adulthood and they may not function well like other kids.
“Family conflict, becoming a bully, school dropouts, poor grades in school, being involved in criminal activity, suicide tendencies, becoming loners at home or school, diminished interest, weight gain or loss or becoming fearful are some of the characteristics of children who are left untreated,” she noted.
Dr. Lawal further added that some of the common mental illnesses among children and adolescents include emotional disorders such as anxiety, somatoform, and depressive disorder; behavioral disorders such as oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, attention deficit hyper disorder(ADHD); Psychosis; mental retardation, Autism, Epilepsy, speech disorder, and learning disabilities, noting that early detection and treatment would go a long way to reduce risk.
In her remarks, the Kano State Commissioner of Women Affairs, Children and Disable, Hajiya Aisha Lawan Saji, called on parents and caregivers to avoid abusing their children physically, emotionally, and sexually, stressing that, it is their responsibility to give these children the needed care and love and not to be pushed away.
While commending the organizers for complimenting the state government’s effort in uplifting the status of children and adolescents in the State, she urged them and other CSOs to sustain the tempo and ensure they reach out to more communities across the 44 Local Government Areas of the State by augmenting the gaps identified as a result of a shortage of practitioners.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Executive Director of the Positive Pathways initiative, Ruqayya Umar Tofa, explained that the seminar is aimed at creating awareness and educating parents and teachers on the importance of mental well-being of children and Early diagnosis, and making them understand that early negative experiences in homes and schools such as violence, bullying, molestation, harsh words or threats and mental illness of a caregiver can increase the risk of mental illnesses in children and adolescents.
She also noted that mental health conditions such as childhood epilepsy, developmental disability, depression, and behavioral disorders are major causes of illnesses and disabilities in children.
About 10% of children and adolescents experience a mental disorder and the majority do not receive treatment. Suicide is the third leading cause of death in 15-19-year-olds.
“The consequences of not addressing psychosocial development for children and adolescents extend to adulthood and limit opportunities for leading a fulfilling life,” she said.
