Are they "mentally ill" or

is there something else at work here? 

I refuse to believer that "up to half of preschoolers have a mental health disorder". At least a third of them have a serious one.  This is a wild claim that, if true, should be sending everyone into panic mode. Nevertheless this is what was being suggested in the article in yesterday's state newspaper.

Apparently "anxiety" is a big thing now. I delved a little deeper into the report. Yes, "separation anxiety", "depression", "conduct disorders", "panic attacks" and then "ADHD", "oppositional defiance disorder" were all mentioned.

These are children under the age of five and they are already being labelled as having serious mental health issues. One in five are described as having "two or more serious mental health issues". 

I tried finding more about this from official sources and I am waiting to read how the research was actually conducted. Still, the report was there and, true or not, too many people will feel an inclination to believe it.  

This is ridiculous. Yes, very young children can have issues but are they mental health issues or are they issues caused by the environment in which they find themselves? I am not intending to include children who have very obvious issues such as severe autism here. I am simply asking this about your "average" child, the child going through "the terrible twos", the "why and what threes" and "frightful fours". These are children who, although it may not seem that way to harassed parents, are growing up. They are growing through normal stages of development. 

If a child is left with strangers from six months of age so that both parents can go back to work does it perhaps contribute to issues they might have about being separated from their parents? They may not see the same adults every day at day care. Those adults rarely have the time to offer undivided attention, to answer questions, handle problems. Is anxiety arising from these things mean the child is somehow at fault or mentally ill? Their parents do not spend so much time with them. When they do see them then it is at times of the day when they are in a rush to get the child to day care so they can go to work. At the end of the day the child is tired and often fractious.  A parent can get irritable too.

Small children do get frightened easily. I watched one who had been happily playing on a ride on toy in the shopping centre. The adult in charge of him, presumably his mother had moved out of his line of vision. He suddenly realised it and was, for a moment, panic stricken. As soon as he saw her and was comforted he went back to playing. Does that mean he has "panic attacks" or is it normal child behaviour?

Children will test boundaries too. "No" is a favourite word in their vocabulary. It is one they learn early. It is a powerful word and they know how it can be manipulated. Does that mean they are showing "oppositional defiance disorder" at all times? Of course there are children who show more serious behaviours in relation to defiance but sound consistent discipline from all the adults around them puts and end to most of it. Does that happen when there are different rules at home, at day care, with grandparents?

And do those children really have attention deficits? Are they really unable to sit still when required to do so? My experience of reading bedtime stories has been that small children will bounce around and wriggle even while they are listening to a story. It does not mean they are not listening. Sometimes it means they are anticipating. I also know their attention span can be very short. When they are involved in pushing the plastic dinosaur through dirt the span for concentration can double or triple. 

I might be completely wrong but I am wondering whether many of the "mental health" problems are being created by adults. Are we simply demanding what the child cannot deliver in an environment which is telling him, "Don't try to explore, to ask, to build relationships. Just do as you are told. "