Childhood and Teenage Mental Health

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While it is commonly believed that depression only effects adults, around 10% of children in Great Britain aged between 5 and 16 have a recognisable mental disorder; with about 4% of children suffering from an emotional disorder such as anxiety or depression.

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The problem for many is that depression is difficult to spot and often regarded as teenage mood swings. However, if your child is appearing to have an extreme emotional response to a life event or has lost interest in activities which previously interested them they may be suffering from an emotional disorder.

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If you are worried about your child’s mental health please visit your GP, who will be able to offer a range of support to help both you and your child. There are a range of talking therapies which are highly effective in dealing with both short term and long term depression, for more information on these therapies please view the NHS Talking Therapy Guide.

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Useful links

• Barnardo’s Mental Health Support for children and adolescents

• Mind- Mental Health Charity

• Sane – Mental Health Support

• Rethink Mental Illness

• Kooth (11 – 18 year olds)

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Childhood Immunisations

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One of the most important things that a parent can do for their child is to make sure that they have all their routine childhood vaccinations. It’s the most effective way of keeping them protected against infectious diseases.

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Ideally, children should have their jabs at the right age to protect them as early as possible and minimise the risk of infection.

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Find out which jabs your child needs, when they need them, and what the benefits of each jab are.

Please call the surgery to make an appointment.

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For more information please visit the websites below:

Useful links

• NHS Choice – Vaccinations for you and your family

• Childhood Immunisation Schedule

• National Immunisation Schedule

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