Professor’s Warning Over Mental Health

A Sheffield Hallam University professor has warned that more emphasis must be placed on the emotional needs of youngsters to halt the growing number of youngsters with serious mental health disorders.

Ann Macaskill, Professor of Health Psychology at the university, spoke out after a British Medical Association survey showed one in 10 six-to 15-year-olds suffer from disorders like anxiety, depression, attention deficit disorders and autism. That translates to more than 6,000 children in Sheffield, which Prof Macaskill says is likely to be a conservative estimate.

Prof Macaskill, said: “Although we do not have any individual figures for the Sheffield area, the estimated number is likely to be a lot lower than the true figure. These are children with clinical levels of illness. There are a great deal more suffering in silence with a variety of mental health issues.”

She said self-harmers and alcohol and drug abusers were among those who might not be treated because they managed to hide it.

Prof Macaskill and academics from the psychology and education departments of the university have worked together to launch an initiative which they hope will help tackle the problem. They will work with schools and children’s services.

She said: “We are at a very early stage of the project and have been exploring with schools exactly what they need. Everyone we have worked with so far has identified training needs. Most teachers are not trained to recognise signs and symptoms of mental health problems. We want them to be able to pick up problems before they escalate into something more serious.”

Prof Macaskill believes mental health issues are increasing because fewer people are happy with their lives than they used to be. A Gallup survey in 1957 showed 52 per cent of people said they were very happy in life. In 2006 a similar survey showed just 36 per cent were very happy.

She said: “The emerging field of positive psychology claims that happy people make better citizens and even live longer. With so much focus on young people’s anti-social behaviour and unhealthy eating habits, surely we should start looking after their emotional well-being.”