NARRATIVE AROUND THE CHILD
We need to be mindful about the narrative that has developed around
the subject of children’s mental health in recent years (‘children’
includes young people up to 18). The story about children’s
psychological and behavioural problems has shifted over time. Human
beings are natural story-tellers. The stories we tell ourselves and
others has a powerful impact on the way we construe and understand
problems. We are passing through an era in which children’s
psychological problems are couched within a ‘medical’ framework. This
narrative has important implications. It implies that there is something
inherently ‘wrong’ with the child (i.e. that the problem is located
within the child). Consequently, solutions focus on ways to change the
child, primarily through the use of pharmacological interventions.
Whilst there is certainly a place for medication in the treatment of
some child mental health disorders, there has been a dramatic increase
in the use of medication during the past couple of decades.
Mental Health Care for Children and Young People in Children’s Homes 176.47 KB
Download
