Childhood and mental health crises among children and young people in the UK are reaching alarming levels, a new study shows.
In a report, the Resolution Foundation thinktank points out that the number of children whose families receive disability living allowance (DLA) has more than doubled in the last decade, to 682,000.
The biggest shift has come among teenagers, with 8% of all 15-year-olds receiving DLA last year, up from 5% in 2013.
The research finds that only adults aged 52 and older now have a higher proportion of individuals claiming disability benefits compared to 15- and 16-year-olds.
Author’s response
Louise Murphy, the author of the report and a senior economist at the Resolution Foundation, said: ‘The rising prevalence of disability across Britain is driving up the number of children awarded disability benefits, and that increase is most stark among older children.’
The report suggests part of the shift may reflect the rapid increase in parents applying for extra support with their children’s special educational needs in the classroom.
‘It is plausible that some of this pressure is showing up in child disability benefit claims, with families being more likely to apply for child DLA after receiving a diagnosis or description of their child’s additional needs,” it said.
However, Ms. Murphy warned of a sharp drop-off once claimants reached adulthood, with 25% of those in receipt of DLA not going on to receive the personal independence payment (Pip), which adults with disabilities can apply for.
‘There may be positive reasons for no longer claiming support, but it is a huge worry if young people are leaving the benefits system and missing out on support at the arbitrary cut-off point of age 16, rather than when their condition changes,’ Ms. Murphy said.
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The root cause
Trying to determine a specific cause for the mental-health crisis among young people, whether it’s the pandemic or the rise of smartphones and social media, misses the bigger picture. The main issue isn’t tied to one event or technological change.
Instead, it’s because adults such as parents, teachers, and policymakers—are more often interpreting behaviours and experiences through a psychological lens.
This shift in perspective is contributing to the growing number of mental-health problems among youth.
labelling children’s behaviour
Over the past few years, labelling and categorising children’s behaviour has significantly impacted them.
Children who are simply confused or insecure are often diagnosed with depression or trauma. The one who has lost a parent or guardian is not considered to be mourning, rather depressed.
Lively or disruptive children might be labelled as having ADHD. Those who express concerns about current events may be seen as clinically anxious.
The rising number of young people claiming ‘disability’ is largely due to the growing trend of labelling and managing children’s behaviour and emotions through a therapeutic lens.
This tendency to treat their experiences as psychiatric issues is contributing to the so-called ‘youth mental-health crisis,’ and it’s causing significant harm to these young individuals.
The Bible says,
Psalm 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
Let children be
Children are no longer allowed to feel a moment of sadness without having a tag put to their emotions.
When a child is told that his energetic or disruptive behaviour is due to a mental-health disorder, it essentially means that there’s something inherently wrong with him/her.
It shifts the issue from being a matter of self-discipline to a medical condition that needs to be managed with therapy or medication.
1Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
This mindset can lead young people to display their mental-health diagnoses on social media as a core part of their identity, sometimes even viewing it as a justification for a disability claim.
The Bible says,
1 Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
Normal childhood behaviour
Normal childhood behaviour such as being boisterous, not being able to sit still, argumentative or disruptive, have been redefined as ‘mental disorders’ and given psychiatric labels.
The names of these so-called disorders include, but are not limited to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Conduct Disorder (CD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD).
The disorders are listed in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), mental disorders section, published by the World Health Organisation, and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
The Bible says,
1 Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
‘Why children’s mood and emotion varies’
Dr. Doris Rapp, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the State University of New York found that physical factors could lead to a child’s misbehaviour.
‘Over-activity, fatigue, bed-wetting, inappropriate behaviour, and even epilepsy, in some children, may be due to allergies. Allergic infants can be so hyperactive that they rock their cribs about the room or bounce them off the walls and begin to walk earlier than normal.’
‘Food intolerances and sensitivities to chemicals in things such as washing powder, shampoo and plastics can create “symptoms”.’
Environmental factors
The following list gives some of the common environmental factors and underlying physical conditions that can create symptoms of ‘childhood disorders’:’Too much sugar. modern-day fast food due to its lack of nutritional value, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, food colourings and preservatives, hyperthyroidism, allergies (e.g. gluten), temporal lobe seizures and pesticides.
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Read and pray
READ: Genesis 33:5; Jeremiah 31:17; Psa 128:2; Prov 22:6; Matt 18:10; Matt 21:15-16; Mark 9:36-37; Rom 8:14 ;Jude 1:07; Rev 22:15b.
PRAY: For our health system. Pray for leaders in power.
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