Mental health and psychosocial well-being are one of the most neglected areas in our country. The National Mental Health Survey (2016), reports almost one hundred fifty million citizens of our country need care and support for their mental health well-being. Additionally, it was discovered that between seventy to ninety percent of these people failed to receive early, timely, and quality intervention. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), the self-harm rates in the adolescent age group are found in the highest numbers at a global level. Emotional stress and other concerns are major contributing factors to most of the physical illnesses. Mental healthcare providers like psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, counselors, and allied professionals agree that early intervention can prevent many future mental health conditions.

To ensure our children's physical and psychological safety, easy access to mental health services and support in homes is the first step.

Family is the first socialization framework the child is exposed to. It is an important cornerstone for a child because attachment, emotions, personality traits, and behaviors emanate from the family. Everything from food preference to interest and social interaction depends on this unit. Family is the most valuable source of support for children. It includes parents, siblings, grandparents, and close relatives, especially when we are looking at the collectivistic culture quintessential to our country. In all the stages of life, the family support shows dynamic changes. For e.g., in healthy and functional families, during childhood, the children are completely dependent on all the needs of the family. As the child grows up, this dependence tends to modify.

A child's “good mental health” is a very elusive concept because kids are always changing. Appropriate behavior at one stage of development may be a sign of a mental disorder at another; a three-year-old who has developed limited self-regulation and coping skills may throw a temper tantrum when denied something they want, which is considered typical for his or her stage of development. On the other hand, a sixteen-year-old who demonstrates the same level of self-regulation and coping skills as they did as a three-year-old when denied something they want, is not typical for his or her stage of development. Also, for young people, self-image, managing peer pressure, and accepting diversity while maintaining a desire to learn are all factors that affect mental health.

Certainly, parents cannot completely shield their children from the world; there will always be potentially harmful influences that are beyond parental control. However, there are measures that can be taken to minimize a child’s risk of developing problematic mental health symptoms or disorders.

1) First and foremost, a child’s good mental health starts with how a parent perceives and responds to them. Especially in early to middle childhood, children want to please their adult caregivers more than anything else. This continues to be true, even with the interfering desire to conform to the norms of social groups and to strive for independence that comes with the teenage years. Fostering acceptance and love in the home from birth will help facilitate a positive self-image that will help transcend potential pitfalls that tempt adolescents to make decisions that put their mental health at risk.

2) Parents can be powerful catalysts in fostering self-acceptance and strong self-esteem by encouraging and helping kids explore interests and talents, while also teaching them the importance of setting realistic goals and productive ways of achieving them. For example, by providing their children with the opportunity to regularly earn an allowance through the completion of simple but necessary chores around the house, parents can offer their children a sense of personal accomplishment and self-reliance.

3) Being a parent is about more than just providing the basic necessities of life, such as clothing, housing, and food. It is important for parents to remember that children are not little adults with the judgment and social reasoning capabilities that typically come a little later in life. When it comes to promoting good mental health in children, children and adolescents need guidance, instruction, and appropriate role models. Parents need to interact in a loving and accepting way with their children, set and enforce appropriate boundaries with respect to social influences, communicate with their kids regularly, take interest in their activities, and promote the development and achievement of realistic goals.

4) A healthy diet, a good night’s sleep, and plenty of exercise aren’t just good for your child’s physical health—they're essential to mental health too. Teach your kids to develop healthy habits that will keep their bodies and their minds in good shape.

5) Helping children develop their self-esteem, which can give a significant boost to their mental health, is two-fold for a parent. First, you want to do your part in boosting your child’s self-esteem. Provide genuine, realistic praise. Saying things like, “You’re the smartest kid in the whole school” won’t help your child develop healthy self-esteem. Avoid praising things they can’t control, like how they look or how smart they are.

6)  Kids feel better about themselves when they’re able to do things on their own. So whether you’re teaching your children how to attend an online class or you’re showing them that you trust them to make their own grilled cheese sandwich, kids feel good about themselves when they’re able to demonstrate competence.

Walk the walk and don’t just tell your child what you want them to do. Show them and let them learn by imitation. Humans are programmed to copy others’ actions and by doing so they tend to understand the world around them. Children, in particular, watch everything their parents do very carefully. So, be the person you want your child to be—respect your child, show them positive behavior and attitude, have empathy towards your child’s emotions—and your child will follow your steps. With these tips you can keep a check on your child and your child’s mental health.