New Haven Independent

Posted by: Jabari Sangoma Parks | November 27, 2008 11:49 AM

By covering this program and publishing this article, NHI is partnering with 21st Century Conversations to get out this vital information to the community. Part of the solution is accomplished when we become as comfortable discussing mental heatlh issues as we are discussing cancer and other physical health issues. Complements to NHI and to 21st Century Conversations for doing this important work.

Posted by: zarina townsend | November 28, 2008 9:14 AM

It is good to read about a program where adult professionals are talking about ways to help teens deal with the many stresses we face rather than talking about how difficult we are. Many parents or adults today just do not understand some of the issues we have to deal with; it is not like it was 30 years ago. Most media programs do not help! Much of what we see on the news only add to the problems we have to deal with. Many teachers and parents do not take our problems seriously. It is nice to read about this program

Posted by: Cyrette Summerville | November 28, 2008 9:20 AM

Thank you for this article and this TV program. I never thought of using the police as a support system, nor do I recall knowing that there are youth bureaus in the police depts. When my son is mouthing off and getting pass himself I have thought about calling the cops to straighten him out, but I do not want him to have a record, so I suffer silently. It is hard these days for mothers to raise boys without any male role models around. It would be nice to have the police just meet with some of these kinds when there are no problems and just talk to them about how they deal with issues with their friends or with kids they are having trouble with at school. A friend of mine called the cops once and the whole thing escalated; that was a warning to the rest of us; most often I do not even know what to say to my son; I just pray for him to mature. Thank you for this article; it is really quite helpful.

Posted by: CMD | November 30, 2008 12:50 AM

Our young people have a lot to grapple with in these days and time. In too many instances it is not even recognized that the young person needs help before incarceration.

I appreciate all of the organizational support systems available to assist young people, however, you cannot help someone if you have already given up on them.

I grapple with the contradiction, that with all of the services available, why are so many being lost to the system of incarceration.

I have witnessed over and over how young people escape the trap or overcome the odds, when someone is willing to believe in and take the time with them.

All of us need the basics, someone to care about what happens to us. The systems are so bureaucratic, they trap the children and try to replace the family, instead of healing the families.

I know there are challenges in accomplishing, healing families, but if we don't the issues will continue to exacerbate.

The cycles of expecting young people to overcome issues that are adult problems are unrealistic. Difficulties and challenges are a part of life and they strengthen us when we are able to overcome them.

Advocating for and teaching for young people to take care of themselves without their families leaves a longing and void that can never be filled by others. Many adoptive families understand this all too well; they experience the never ending desire/longing for children wanting to know who their real parents are and why they don't want them,(the question lingers for an answer and manifest itself in their lives).

We have a difficult system to reform and children need help now. However, we need to take a fresh look at how we manage young people; the relevance and appropriateness of the care that is provide; (Healing Families and Individuals)

Posted by: Rose | December 4, 2008 7:57 PM

Children's Mental Health Issues & Services is a critically important topic. It is surprising to learn how many parents have no idea what is going on with their children. Many parents do not know what is normal or abnormal behavior until something terrible happens. There are parents who think if the kid is acting up give him a couple slaps and he will settle down; if he does not settle down, they slap him again. Many times that just makes the problem worst. Raising children today is not like it was even 20 years ago. Today parents need to be informed about many things to stay on top of the problems their children might have; some problems only show up at school. This is why parent teacher meetings are important from the first day of school so that parents can learn about what is going on with their child at school, and can get the help they need to identify problems early and before they become severe.

Rose

Posted by: Kelley Tetreault | December 5, 2008 5:54 PM

It's nice to see organizations like One World get involved with such a tough issue. As a parent, it is easy to feel isolated when faced with issues with your children. Articles/programs like this will help parents facing these challenges to understand that there is help out there without judgment. It is refreshing to see someone offering a solution and some guidance to deal with mental health issues rather than pointing fingers. K. Tetreault

Posted by: Dottie | December 6, 2008 8:53 AM

N'Zinga, your activitivism in bringing health issues to the public is highly commendable. The issue of youth mental health is a serious one. So many young peope are left to their own devices to manage complex problems that they don't often even realize are problems, let alone mental health problems. As some of the professionals commented, teen behavior can be very similar to undiagnosed mental health concerns. I am not a clinical professional, but I often see youth who are branded as problematic rather than troubled. They are often suspended, expelled, incarcerated -in essence thrown away. They are given no or minimal service using service paradigms that are antithetical to their cultural or social framework.
I'm curious if there were any clinicians of color available or willing to partcipate on such a panel.

Many children/youth end up in a well-meaning foster care system that provides little stability or therapeutic support. The programs that attempt to provide viable service are few.

Many parents struggle with stressors that exacerbate their own needs as they struggle to care for their children. The problem is significant. Integral management of the needs of youth require a familial approach wherever possible, beyond the 30-45 minute sessions... That's time consuming, expensive and requires some paradigm shifting. The question is does our society see these youth as valuable enought to expend the resources of time and money?

Posted by: Maria de Paiva | December 7, 2008 10:48 PM

It is a significant service to the community to read this article and to know that there is an organization such as OneWorld Progressive Institute presenting programs such as this one on children's mental health, and informing the community about the types of help that are available. Thanks also to the NHI OnLine Journal for providing this coverage. This is the type of program that needs to be funded 100 percent. The benefits of such service cannot be over estimated. We are so glad that OneWorld and the NHI have joined forces.

One of the problems that many parents have faced with their children has been learning disabilities. Many of us were told that our children could not learn; that they had mental health problems. Most often the children were given medication, but the parents were never told about the long term effects of these medications, or even if they had any real benefits except to put these children in a tranquil state. Some parents were never told what was wrong with their children. Sophisticated parents who had the means also had alternatives; poor parents who were uninformed had no choices. They and their children mostly suffered silently. Many of those children who are adults today have led miserable lives.

Learning disabilities can be effectively addressed when children are accurately diagnosed; these children can go on to do very well and to achieve outstanding academic success; the key is to get your child evaluated, placed in the right setting, and provided with the right type of support systems. Knowing about these various clinics and services and that HUSKY exists to help those who do not have health insurance is extremely beneficial. It is also good to know that the public access TV program "21st Century Conversations" is available in many parts of the state of CT. Thanks to OneWorld, Inc., to N'Zinga Shani and to the New Haven Independent OnLine Journal for this very valuable service.

Posted by: Gil Oliveira | December 7, 2008 10:49 PM

I believe that much of the problems children face and that lead to mental health problems are caused by irresponsible parents (mostly mothers) and an unhealthy environment. Mothers should be taught that if they want to have healthy babies they should not smoke, use drugs and drink alcohol during pregnancy. Also, having to live in a dirty environment, deal with domestic violence and the stress of poverty and crime affect the baby before birth. Mental health problems in children will be greatly reduced if we develop a more fair and equitable society, and if children waited until they become adults (age 21+) to have babies. OneWorld should include a program about young people learning to take care of themselves before they have to take care of babies. Thanks for this program.

Posted by: L.Townsend | December 9, 2008 12:31 PM

Children's mental health problems is a topic that needs to be addressed indepth and over time. Much lip service has been given to this topic, but not much real attention and education has been provided to elementary school teachers. In most colleges where teachers prepare there are no compulsory mental health education classes. New teachers walk into their classrooms ill-prepared to teach or deal with children who have mental health problems, and these teachers have no experience in how to even recognize if a problem does exists. As a result, young children with problems end up in time-out very often; older children get suspended. By the time they are in the 3rd or 4th Grade, they are being sent to alternative programs. It is an outrage!

Yes, there are special education classes, but a child had to have been diagnosed to be placed in a special education class. Many children are not evaluated for years. Poor children, African-Americans and Hispanic boys are perceived to be more difficult in their behavior, so quite often they are the last to be accurately diagnosed; they are more likely to be punished for bad behavior. This is another reason why so many boys of color drop out of school. They get suspended so much, they fall behind in their education, and they never seem to catch up with their peers. Furthermore, many parents in the Black and Hispanic communities are still afraid of the stigma being attached to a mental health diagnosis, so they look for other reasons for the problems their children have. This is why programs such as this one presented by OneWorld and its "21st Century Conversations" need to be embraced and supported because it is giving us such valuable information. It is a great service to the community that the New Haven Independent makes these articles available so that many of us can join the conversation and contribute more information. Thanks to everyone involved and certainly to the professionals who participated.

Posted by: Norris Haynes | December 9, 2008 8:50 PM

The social and emotional health of children and families is challenged and strained by many factors, including home and life difficulties, school failure, unhappy social relationships and friendships, difficult socio-economic conditions such as we are facing now and in fact many families have been facing for a very long time. The program focused attention on the importance of recognizing and addressing early warning signs of distress among children and youth that could lead to depression, anxiety disorders, conduct disorders, oppositional behaviors and other maladaptive behaviors among youth. Importantly also, the program helped us to recognize that the social and emotional health of parents and caregivers is important to developing and maintaining social and emotional health among children and youth. Therefore, we cannot treat chidren and youth in isolation but must also address the contexts that contribute to or even fuel their problems. You helped us to understand that we must do so assertively and as proactively as we can. Thank you for such an enlightening and important program. keep up the good work of focusing attention on these very important issues affecting the quality of life among our children, youth and their families.

Posted by: Clive Spencer | December 19, 2008 12:31 PM

Twenty Century Conversations continue to be shining beacon on the shoals of a society with a myriad of social issues. Please continue to engage us in these conversations in order that we can begin to find solutions.

Posted by: OneWorld Progressive Institute, Inc. | December 20, 2008 1:03 AM

OneWorld's Perspective on Need for CMH TV Programs

Historically, Children's Mental Health Issues have been a source of concern to many; however, it has only been in the past 10-15 years that the topic has gotten focused attention in a public way. Even so, old habits die hard. There are still many parents and others who are afraid to address the topic in families and actively seek the help they need; there is still a perceived stigma attached to needing help when it comes to mental health problems.

Based upon anecdotal evidence there is a significant need to engage parents, teachers, counselors, social workers and the juvenile justice system around the issue of mental health problems in children.

In the past 4 weeks we have heard many heart-rending stories from mothers, grandparents and other relatives who told us about adults who have been condemned to a life of suffering and some to incarceration because they did not get accurate mental health diagnoses when they were children. This has been particularly true of minority boys and of people who are poor.

Children with learning disabilities, children who are poor and whose parents are not involved with activities in their school as well as African-American and Hispanic boys are far more likely to be punished in school for the same infractions as Caucasian and Asian boys, or as children whose parents are prominent and involved at school. While there are many reasons why some children "act-up" in school, many do so due to undiagnosed mental health problems. However, due to the manner in which some of us are perceived mental health problems might be the last thing considered. Often the problems have to become overwhelming before diagnosis and treatment are considered; this is another reason why the outcomes are often so disparate for the poor.

CT's out-of-school suspension records for 2006 showed that children with disabilities as well as minorities received a disproportionate number of out-of-school suspensions. Why is that we may ask? Of course, the answers are complicated; however, in many cases it is reasonable to assume that undiagnosed mental health problems are involved. This is the story families relate after the fact.

We have received several requests to present more mental health programs that focus on learning disabilities. We hope to do so in 2009.

We are inviting parents, clinicians and social workers to join these discussions. What insights can you add to a discussion of this topic? We at OneWorld welcome your input in any way that contributes positively to enlightening members of the broader community. We thank you very kindly for your support. It is always better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

Appreciatively, N'Zinga Shani