Introduction
Mental health problems and potentially traumatic experiences that may cause them in young patients are often overlooked, which causes the development of serious mental health issues in the future. Therefore, it is critical to ensure that mental health issues in children are identified quickly and treated accordingly to prevent the aggravation of their condition (Thomas, Chipchase, Rippon, & McArdle, 2015). For this purpose, one has to revisit current legal regulation for patient autonomy, defining the line of parental control.
Problem Description
Having been issued in 2000, the Children’s Health Act, according to which decisions regarding the treatment of young patients are made, seems to have become slightly outdated. Particularly, it is necessary to ensure that the autonomy with which parents are provided does not harm their children due to the lack of action in case of a possible mental health problem. Due to the social stigma of mental disorders, managing them by using the services of healthcare professionals may be seen as a poor choice to many parents (Busby, 2015). Reasons for seeking support:
- High patient vulnerability;
- Increased health risks;
- Lack of coherent regulations.
Proposed Solutions
Education of parents and the focus on building awareness among them prior to offering them an option to refuse the proposed treatment should be seen as critical. If healthcare providers encourage parents to acknowledge the possible negative outcomes that their children may face unless the suspected condition is treated accordingly, a rapid drop in the levels of well-being among younger patients may be observed (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018).
Conclusion
Since the issue of mental health in children does not receive enough attention, legal changes to the current framework for managing the specified problems in the public health area is required. In addition, by promoting parent education, one will build awareness and ensure that parents act in the best interests of their children. Thus, wrong choices made by mistake and due to the lack of knowledge will be avoided, and the problem of mental health of in people will be handled.
References
Busby, E. (2015). Number of children referred to mental health services in England rises by a quarter. Independent. Web.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Children’s mental health. Web.
Thomas, V., Chipchase, B., Rippon, L., & McArdle, P. (2015). The application of mental health legislation in younger children. BJ Psychiatric Bulletin, 39(6), 302-304. Web.