One in 7 children develop mental illness before the age of 18

A new study estimates that one in seven children develop a mental illness before they reach adulthood, which is more than the statistics for cancer, diabetes or AIDS data say. These are mental states that range from depression and anxiety to ADHD and schizophrenia

One in 7 children develop mental illness before the age of 18

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Most of the concerns of parents of young children are centered on their existence and physical well being - whether they are developing according to the norm, talking clearly, having healthy eating and sleeping habits and more. As they grow older their concerns also include concerns about their social integration with their peers and now, a new study coming from Denmark warns that their mental state should also be worried - because it is deteriorating.

The findings, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, are based on 1.3 million Danish children who were under surveillance by age 18. Among subjects, 14.6 percent of girls and 15.5 percent of boys were diagnosed with mental illness before age 18. The most common diagnosis for girls is anxiety; For boys, various attention deficit disorders. The researchers found that the identification of these diseases in girls could be missed, because girls tend to be diagnosed much later.

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According to research data, girls were found to be more sensitive than boys to developing schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and mood disorders. The boys were found prone to mental illness at a younger age - for example attention deficit hyperactivity disorder at eight, compared to age 17 for girls. Also, intellectual disability and other developmental disorders tend to start earlier in boys - age five versus 14 and 16 in girls. Not surprisingly, eating disorders are far more common among girls (1.8 percent) than boys (0.28 percent).

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Research psychologist Soren Delgaard of Aarhus University in Denmark, co-author of the study, said: "As far as we know, our extensive research is the first in the world to test the prevalence of the full spectrum of mental disorders diagnosed in childhood and adolescence." He added that "these findings indicate accurate estimates of the rate of all mental disorders during childhood and adolescence and their risks, and are essential for future health care planning and treatment and research."

The findings are essential for future health care planning, treatment and research. Sad girl (Photo: ShutterStock)

Sad girl (Photo: ShutterStock)

Previous research has also shown alarming data

Last July, a study by the British Public Health Service (NHS) found that child referrals to mental health clinics rose by almost 50 per cent in the UK over three years. Mental health teachers and experts described the situation as a real crisis.

Last October, a survey was published by the UK government regarding the welfare of children, revealing that almost one in five young people are unhappy with their lives. One of the main reasons for the unhappiness or poor mental well-being of respondents was bullying, including cyberbullying - about which girls are more likely to report than boys. According to the survey findings, among 1,003 schoolchildren between the ages of 11-16, 57 percent of children said they had been bullied at some point in their school life, of which nearly one in five children (17 percent) said it made them "feel suicidal."