Americas Children: We Are Their Future

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Americas Children We Are Their Future

• A. Kathryn Power, M.Ed., Director
• Center for Mental Health Services

August 15, 2005 Washington, DC
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Americas Children

• Age Number
• Under 5 years 19,175,798
• 5 to 9 years 20,549,505
• 10 to 14 years 20,528,072
• 15 to 19 years 20,219,890

Source U.S. Census Bureau Census 2000
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Suicidal ideation
In a typical class of 30 students,
Substance abuse
Attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder
Anorexia
Depression
Anxiety disorder
Six children may have mental health needs
Three of the six may have a serious emotional or
behavioral disorder
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Suicide Risk Among High School Students

• 19.3 seriously had considered suicide
• 14.5 had made plans to attempt suicide
• 8.3 had made a suicide attempt during the year
  preceding the survey

Source Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (2000). Youth Risk Behavior
Surveillance Survey.
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Youth Suicide Rates

• Greatest number of suicides White males (8.5 per
  100,000)
• Greatest risk of committing suicide American
  Indian males (19.3 per 100,000)
• Greatest growth in rate of suicides African
  Americans males (6.1 per 100,000 up from 2.9 per
  100,000 in 1981)

Youth 10 to 19 years old
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Suicide Risk Factors

• Previous suicide attempt
• Mental disorders or co-occurring mental and
  substance abuse disorders
• Family history of suicide
• Stressful life event or loss
• Easy access to lethal methods, especially guns
• Exposure to the suicidal behavior of others
• Incarceration
• Lack of access to, or an unwillingness to seek,
  mental health treatment

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Suicide Protective Factors

• Access to effective and appropriate mental health
  care and support
• Learned skills in problem-solving
• Impulse control
• Conflict resolution and nonviolent handling of
  disputes
• Family and community support
• Cultural and religious beliefs that discourage
  suicide

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Neurons to Neighborhoods

• The timing of early experiences matter, but more
  often than not, the developing child remains
  vulnerable to risks and open to protective
  factors throughout the early years of life and
  into adulthood.

National Research Council and the Institute
of Medicine (2000)
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Social and Emotional Learning Is a Process. . .

• through which a child acquires the skills to
  recognize and manage emotions, develop caring and
  concern for others, make responsible decisions,
  establish positive relationships, and handle
  challenging situations effectively.

Source The Collaboration for Academic, Social,
and Emotional Learning, www.casel.org/home/index.
php
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We are their future!