I am writing this letter in response to the article “Young Leader Excited to Tackle the Big Issues” (Times, April 13) about an ambitious project led by Aryan Bhatnagar in his role as the 2022 Botany Youth MP to audit the provision of mental health services available to his peers.
Dear Aryan,
This is a commendable, critical and mammoth task that will require the transparency and cooperation of all stakeholders in order to effectively review and improve the quality of our mental health services.
If there is an interest in not just improving our response to mental health but also in lowering our high rate of instances, then it would be appropriate to also take a look at some of the known root causes of ill mental health.
Whilst we demand the most accurate facts and science-based research in many aspects of our lives, it is intriguing that many people still rely on tradition and popular beliefs to dictate how to bring up their children. Many of these beliefs are unsubstantiated and often contrary to natural instinct and result in emotional neglect – a relationship pattern in which the affectional needs of babies and toddlers are consistently disregarded, ignored or invalidated.
This happens in spite of solid scientific evidence regarding the strong emotions human babies experience and their need to feel connected and loved. With only their cry and body language as communication tools, they depend entirely on the responsiveness of adults to establish a secure attachment and assist them when they feel isolated, lonely or scared.
Nathan Wallis, neuroscience and parenting educator, explains that the number-one driver of mental illness is isolation.
Humans are interdependent by nature and need to be socially connected right from the start. Loving and caring attachment gives our three types of brains (survival, movement and emotions) what they need to successfully develop the fourth, which is responsible for attributes like higher intelligence, control of emotions and planning for the future.
If not, we would remain much more primitive and focused on survival.
Affectional neglect can have devastating consequences including failure to thrive, developmental delay, aggression, depression and low self-esteem all of which have proven to be counterproductive to our ability to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.
In order to break the cycle, it would be beneficial to help all parents understand how to respond adequately to a child’s needs, which are far broader than just keeping them clean, warm and well fed.
Some of the most advanced countries – like Switzerland, the Netherlands and Norway – have reduced common problems associated with social isolation and mental health (drug and alcohol abuse, crime, youth suicide) by providing education about how to bring up children during those crucial first three years of their lives and to better understand the neuroscience behind the importance of developing loving and deep, meaningful connections.
In the hope that your project will incorporate these angles, I wish you well, Aryan, and look forward to seeing what it will reveal.
Raquel Francois
Cockle Bay
