The statistics are both sobering and eye opening. There's a children's mental health crisis going on all around us.
DePelchin Children's Center notes in its groundbreaking new "Heal Young Minds" campaign that thousands of children and families in the Houston area struggle with mental health issues.
"One in five children in the Greater Houston area is affected by these disorders, including ADHD, depression and anxiety," Dr. Oscar Bukstein, the medical director at DePelchin Children's Center, says. "Not only do these children and their families have to deal with the actual disorder, but they also have to deal with the stigma that is associated with mental health issues.
"And that hurts even more."
DePelchin is taking on the issue of children's mental health to remove the fear and misunderstanding people harbor about disorders of the brain. To begin a community-wide conversation, DePelchin is asking people to make a simple gesture in support of children's mental health awareness: Wear a Band-Aid on their forehead today.
"Not only do these children and their families have to deal with the actual disorder, but they also have to deal with the stigma that is associated with mental health issues."
The City of Houston is proclaiming this Friday Children's Mental Health Houston Day.
"We chose a green Band-Aid for the Heal Young Minds campaign to symbolize the connection between healing and mental health," DePelchin president and CEO Jenifer Jarriel says.
"Our goal is to ignite a conversation about children's mental health so that struggling children and families can get the help they need."
So celebrate Children's Mental Health Day by wearing one of DePelchin's green Band-Aids or simply wearing any Band-Aid at all. To further promote awareness, DePelchin is asking people to post photos of themselves wearing the Band-Aids to Instagram, Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #healyoungminds.
Show your support for the Heal Young Minds campaign by wearing a DePelchin band-aid on your forehead on Friday, May 16.
