Nevertheless, children and adolescents are missing from the conversation. Mental health issues are mostly perceived as an exclusively adult issue here. Childhood is often painted as a blissful, stress-free period; adolescence, even with all its turmoil, is seen as a time to be carefree and to have fun. Adults, therefore, tend to think that children and teenagers don’t need any business getting psychological or psychiatric help. As Indonesia marked National Children’s Day on July 23, it is a good time to remind everyone that child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) is a serious business.

Being a young person nowadays is not an easy task. Many children still live in vulnerable conditions, in which even their most basic needs cannot be reliably fulfilled. Beyond that, kids must navigate a world that gets more complicated every day, with unique challenges that their parents did not face in their youth: technology, gadgets, social media and much more. This rapidly changing world also puts huge pressure on parents, and sometimes their anxieties are projected onto their children as well.

There are many mental health issues that can affect young people: attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID), to name a few. Many congenital and acquired diseases of childhood, such as brain infection and epilepsy, can also manifest as psychiatric symptoms.

Furthermore, what are commonly classified as “adult” mental disorders can also be found in children. They do experience clinical depression, bipolar disorder and various anxiety disorders, although symptoms may differ from adults. In fact, while those disorders are mostly diagnosed in adults, their onset can be traced back to adolescence. An often-cited study found that half of adults’ mental disorders actually began before the age of 16.

Lack of awareness about CAMH means that these disorders are often diagnosed too late, if they are diagnosed at all. Parents may notice their children have failed to reach developmental milestones or observe disturbing behavior changes; teachers also recognize some students struggling much more than their peers. However, they do not know where to seek help, and some have not heard of child and adolescent psychiatry at all. Consequently, many children and adolescents with mental health problems do not get the treatment they need in time.

For example, children are brought to the clinic after years of poor academic performance and difficult behavior at home and school. Parents, teachers, and friends usually have labeled them “naughty” or “annoying”. The children themselves are also stressed out by their difficulties. After extensive history taking and examination, many of these kids are found to have ADHD. With proper treatment and collaboration among the doctor, patient and family members, they can bounce back and perform as well as their peers.

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