Protecting Our Youth

Child Abuse Prevention is being observed this month. Child abuse is a national tragedy that kills three children every day and affects millions of children and families each year, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. It's critical that we all work together to form and support families so that tragedies like this don't happen all the time; in fact, tragedies like this shouldn't happen at all.

The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) was signed into law on January 31st, 1974, and is the most important federal law addressing child abuse and neglect. The goal of CAPTA is to provide comprehensive care to child abuse victims and future victims by integrating services from several agencies, including legal, educational, mental health, and social service organizations. The following is a breakdown of the Child Abuse and Prevention Treatment Act's definition of abuse and neglect:

• Neglect is defined as failing to meet a child's basic needs.

• Neglect can be physical, mental, or financial (e.g., lack of appropriate supervision or failure to provide necessary food, shelter, or medical care).

• Emotional (for example, ignoring a child's emotional needs or exposing a child to domestic abuse).

• Educational (e.g., failure to educate a child or attend to special education needs).

Brain damage, developmental delays, learning disabilities, relationship issues, violent behavior, and depression have all been related to abuse and neglect. Survivors of child abuse and neglect are more likely to face problems later in life, such as poor academic performance, drug use, teen pregnancy, and criminal activity, all of which impact not only the kid and family but society as well. Let's pause for a moment and dissect that. Even though the social cost may be minimal in comparison to an individual's traumatic experience, it's important to remember that abuse has long-reaching effects that extend well beyond the homes where it occurs.

The Administration for Children and Families is committed to assisting families by promoting policies that strengthen marriage and assist parents in raising their children in a happy and healthy environment. It's 2022, and I've been asking myself the same questions for the past few years since despite all the policies and resources in place, child abuse and neglect continue to be a global issue. Who is fighting for these children? Who is helping these kids? Who's protecting these kids? So, what can we do as a country to assist prevent child abuse and neglect? They go into detail in the community resource packet, titled "Gateways to Prevention," identifying ways that individuals can help increase awareness and techniques that can be implemented. The following items are listed:

• Child Abuse Prevention Overview: Definitions and statistics on child abuse and neglect are provided, as well as an overview of why prevention is so important in dealing with the issue.

• What Organizations Can Do: They can suggest activities and materials for preventing child abuse, as well as resources for dealing with the media.

• What Individuals Can Do: Provide information on how to prevent child abuse and neglect, how to spot and report suspected maltreatment, and parenting tips.

• Resource Directories: Provide information on national organizations that are working to prevent child abuse in conjunction with their state and local chapters, as well as organizations that can provide technical assistance.

• Posters: These strategies are listed to help people better understand their role in preventing child abuse.

The four fundamental categories of childhood abuse are neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse. While each of the categories might be experienced independently, they are witnessed together. I'd like you to realize that both boys and girls are as vulnerable to abuse and neglect. Children of all races and ethnicities are affected by child abuse. Many people believe that domestic violence just affects women, but it also impacts men.

According to statistics from the domestic violence hotline database, domestic abuse not only affects a child's mental health but also affects their ability to focus and learn in school. In these children's life, failure to achieve in school might lead to even more significant issues. Even if a child is not directly harmed, he or she will be exposed to domestic violence in the family. They are still affected by the scenario's stress. Children who witness domestic abuse experience increased tension, worry, and emotional challenges.

“Abused women are 70 percent more likely to get heart disease, 80 percent more likely to have a stroke, and 60 percent more likely to develop asthma," according to the report. These health problems add to survivors' misery while also putting additional strain on the healthcare system. According to the CDC, the cost of healthcare can reach more than $4.1 billion, yet some of that money is lost in lost productivity owing to injuries and premature mortality. Here are some ideas for what we can do as a society:

• We need to invest more into after-school programs and facilities with crisis workers, counselors, therapists, and mental health care workers who can provide a safe refuge for children who are being harmed at home.

• We need to invest more in parent education programs, and in some situations, parents who have proved that they are unsuitable to the parent or have children in the home should be obliged to attend. We should make it mandatory rather than providing individuals the option to participate in these programs.

• More mentorship and respite care programs are needed to educate children about healthy boundaries, how to recognize trustworthy adults, how to check with others before doing something, body limits, and how to express themselves!

For the love of Christ, we as a people should use our voices for good and support these initiatives in our communities; children, too, need to be taught about their rights. Why not make programs and services that will keep our children safe mandatory, just as you were able to make wearing a mask or taking a vaccine mandatory? Enough is enough; the children must be protected.

There Are Systemic Concerns With Mental Health Care

Mental health is important at every stage of life. While most people believe that mental health discussions are important, not enough is done to fill in the gaps. Our mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects the way we think, feels, and behave. It also has an impact on how we handle stress, engages with others, and make healthy choices.

Making conscious, healthy choices can help us live the healthiest lifestyle possible. Let's take a look at what it means to make a healthy choice and how our social decisions affect our community and personal well-being. It's important to remember that the government exists to serve the people, so we should elect healthy people to represent us. Excessive government spending continues to slap Americans in the face, and raising taxes isn't the solution. The government is squandering public funds on pointless expenditures. To enhance the lives of Americans, we must address the problem at its source and allocate funds to critical services. Our mental health system is so flawed that it has a significant influence on the American people. Disparities exist between racial groups, as well as high-cost healthcare services and a lack of access to high-quality care.

According to the McKinsley American Opportunity Survey, 60% of Americans consider mental health care to be unaffordable. As a result, many people who have mental illnesses have been unable to receive therapy since it is "very expensive." So, how do we proceed from here? Let's look at ourselves first. Let's improve mental health treatment, encourage others to do so, initiate petitions, and discuss these issues at board meetings. The establishment of community mental health services should be promoted. Everyone should have access to high-quality health care, which should not be limited to specific communities or neighborhoods. Why would you want to separate primary care from mental health treatment? This has puzzled me for quite some time. Mental health treatment, in my opinion, should be incorporated in primary care. Mental health treatments are critical for prevention and intervention, yet they are deliberately out of reach and insanely expensive. Consider this: if mental health services were integrated into general hospitals, urgent care clinics, and doctors' offices, the number of psychiatric facilities would be reduced.

We forget that we don't have to be diagnosed with a mental illness to seek help; sometimes all you need is to debrief and check-in with yourself, and that's perfectly fine. Self-care means looking after oneself to be well, be productive, and assist and care for others. More funds should be invested into the construction of mental health pop-up clinics on more street corners, rather than having 2-3 alcohol stores on the same block or within a certain radius.

According to mental health America, the following major findings for 2022 have been uncovered thus far:

• In the United States, both adults and children continue to be disadvantaged.

• Mentally ill people who are uninsured make up 11.1% of the population in the United States. The indicator increased by 0.3% from the previous year's dataset, marking the second year in a row since the Affordable Care Act's adoption (ACA).

• A total of 950,000 youngsters, or 8.1% of all children, had private insurance that did not cover mental health care.

The advantages of creative art therapy on mental health

Creative art therapies are used in conjunction with traditional mental health treatment. Art, music, and dance are examples of creative art treatments that have long been used to help people suffering from mental illnesses (Lehofer & Stuppack, 2005). Incorporating these therapies into hospital operations can help create a positive and artistic atmosphere in the facilities.

In several studies, dance therapy was found to reduce negative emotions such as anger, frustration, depression, fear, tension, and anxiety (Rebollo, 2004). The goals have always been to manage behaviors, process feelings, reduce emotional distress, and boost self-esteem. The following are some of the reasons why children and adults benefit from creative art therapies:

• Self-discovery: These programs can help you recognize and accept feelings that have been buried deep inside your subconscious.

• Self-esteem: Participating in these programs will provide you with a sense of accomplishment, which can help you boost your self-esteem and confidence.

• Stress relief: Fighting anxiety, sadness, or emotional trauma can be mentally and physically exhausting. Making art can help you relax your mind and body and relieve tension.

• Emotional release: The most significant advantage of creative art therapy is that it provides a healthy avenue for expressing and letting go of all your emotions and concerns. Sadness or fury are examples of complex emotions that are difficult to explain with words. Making creative art therapy may assist you in expressing yourself when you are unable to do so but seek emotional relief.

Emotions are expressed through a variety of bodily activities that are important in our social interactions, social outcomes, and how we communicate our feelings to others (Calvo et al., 2015). Our impulses can tell us what is going on as a way of resolving the problem by involving brain activity because emotions are the psycho-physiological ways in which we react to an action (Van Dyck et al., 2014). This can help us adjust to new environments in the future. Emotions are mental feelings that can influence the mind, which act as a signal in a specific situation (Devon, 2016). Emotions can convey information about our environment's "friendliness or danger" by acting as indicators (Van Dyck et al., 2014, pg.1).

Rebollo claimed that creative art treatments are a vital aspect of modern health and that they should be employed in "clinical applications in hospitals, institutes, and private practice," based on demographics and patient histories of psychological and physiological disorders (Rebollo, 2004, pg.838). Dance therapy has been demonstrated to have a significant impact on helping people "accept and let go" of emotions, repair their bodies, and cultivate mindfulness through encouraging personal creativity. The table below highlights some of the data gathered on dance utilization:

At some institutions, dance therapy has been used to demonstrate its positive effects on self-efficacy, vitality, emotions, and increased coping capacities (Bradt, Goodill, & Dileo, 2011). Prisons have used creative art therapy to increase inmates' self-awareness and emotional growth, leading to good behavioral adjustments (Gussak & Ploumis-Devick, 2004). As a result, some of the detainees reported their spirits had improved and their coping abilities had improved. Stuckey and Noble mention previous study reviews on the outcomes of dance therapy use. Here at Creatively Releasing of NY LLC, we're working hard to make creative art programs in our communities and social institutions more accessible.