Children's Mental Health Awareness Day

Today marks the Fifth Annual Children's Mental Health Awareness Day, and 2010 is the first time the focus has been on mental health during early childhood.

According to the national Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

Awareness Day raises awareness of effective programs for children's mental health needs; demonstrates how children's mental health initiatives promote positive youth development, recovery, and resilience; and shows how children with mental health needs thrive in their communities.

SAMHSA suggests these strategies for parents and caregivers of young children to promote mental health in children:

1.Integrate mental health into every environment that impacts child development from birth
2.Nurture the social and emotional well-being of children from birth
3.Look for and discuss milestones of a child's social and emotional development from birth

Visit the website for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrationto learn more.