So why is it so important to educate children about mental illness? When we are watching television or a movie, we are not always thinking about what is being presented to us.
It is possible to watch a program which contains information about mental illness, but to miss it due to a lack of critical thinking. This is more prevalent in children, as they do not
always comprehend what they are watching. [5]
At a young age, exposure to badly depicted characters with mental illness can lead to fear and anxiety with regards to the topic, and lead to unconscious social distancing in the future.
I believe that by putting an influence on children, and what they're watching, will help with stigma as it is developing. [3]
One of the most basic definitions of stigma is that it is a combination of three problems: ignorance, prejudice, and discrimination. One of the strongest evidence-based intervention known to reduce stigma is direct social contact with a person who has a mental illness. [9]
No matter how much emphasis we put on campaigns for mental illnesses aimed towards adults, if we don't focus on mental illness education for children, and note their changing attitudes,
then we won't make progress. By ignoring mental illness education in children, we are simply adding another generation of stigmatizing adults who will need some form of
mental illness education in the future. [6,8,9,10]
It is possible to watch a program which contains information about mental illness, but to miss it due to a lack of critical thinking. This is more prevalent in children, as they do not
always comprehend what they are watching. [5]
At a young age, exposure to badly depicted characters with mental illness can lead to fear and anxiety with regards to the topic, and lead to unconscious social distancing in the future.
I believe that by putting an influence on children, and what they're watching, will help with stigma as it is developing. [3]
One of the most basic definitions of stigma is that it is a combination of three problems: ignorance, prejudice, and discrimination. One of the strongest evidence-based intervention known to reduce stigma is direct social contact with a person who has a mental illness. [9]
No matter how much emphasis we put on campaigns for mental illnesses aimed towards adults, if we don't focus on mental illness education for children, and note their changing attitudes,
then we won't make progress. By ignoring mental illness education in children, we are simply adding another generation of stigmatizing adults who will need some form of
mental illness education in the future. [6,8,9,10]