Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, joins the fight against mental health problems in children. In a public service announcement, she urged people to treat mental problems in a similar manner to physical issues.
Place2Be, which is a non-profit organization based in the UK that provides therapeutic and emotional mental health services to primary and secondary students. In April 2013, Middleton was announced as the charity's royal patron.
"The Duchess' support will help Place2Be hugely in its efforts to shine the spotlight on child mental health, and on the need to tackle these issues at the earliest possible stage, so that children have the brightest possible futures, as they deserve," said Benita Refson, the President and Founding Trustee of Place2Be.
Kate Middleton recorded a short video for Place2Be about mental health issues in children, which the organization released on Feb. 15.
Middleton says that she and Prince Williams have seen many children struggle in coping with the influence of bereavement, bullying, family breakdown, domestic violence and more. These children need adequate support so that they can overcome the challenges. Mental health problems can lead to severe issues like addiction, self-harm, anxiety and depression.
Middleton added that there are many children who do not get adequate support to overcome mental health problems and this issue should be addressed.
"We need to help young people and their parents understand that it is not a sign of weakness to ask for help. A child's mental health is just as important as their physical health and deserves the same quality of support," says Middleton.
Dr. Joshua Rosenthal, who is a child psychologist and also director of the Manhattan Psychology Group, applauded Middleton's video showing her concern about mental health in children.
"The more we talk about it from the top the more it trickles down to the kids who need it the most," says Dr. Rosenthal.
Dr. Rosenthal also reveals that mental health is often not talked about in many ethnicities and cultures, which makes it difficult to treat at later stages. The psychologist also said that one of his biggest complaints is that he cannot see children with mental health issues seek support at an early stage.
However, Dr. Rosenthal is optimistic that with the support from the Duchess of Cambridge, parents of children suffering with mental health problems may be encouraged to seek support for their children at an early stage.
Check out the video of Kate Middleton talking about mental health problems in children.
