Kate Middleton Says She Won't Overlook Mental Health Support In Her Children, Duchess Endorses Podcast On Mental Health

Kate Middleton has reaffirmed her commitment to children's mental health. The Duchess of Cambridge recently endorsed a series of podcast, which puts the issue of mental health to the core and stresses why families should be open to discussing this.

The podcast, entitled "A Child in Mind," released its first episode via the Anne Freud Organization on Aug. 14. It is also available on iTunes and for SoundCloud subscribers. The initial offering talks about the case of a 10-year-old boy who is suffering from anxiety, which has affected his family's life. Succeeding episodes, which comes at 20 minutes each, will discuss the science and social aspects of brain development among adolescence, different disorders, and medicating or treating mental health problems.

Kate Middleton is encouraging individuals, especially parents, to listen to the podcasts to be more informed about mental health. Most people are usually uncomfortable talking about this issue, let alone bringing this up with their children when "It doesn't need to be like this," said the princess.

She said in a statement that giving children the support they need early on is one way of teaching them how to manage and handle emotions. It also helps break down the stigma surrounding mental health. The royal stressed that she will not hesitate to provide her kids, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, the "expert support" if they might need it in the future. Her full statement was posted on the official Instagram account of the Kensington Palace.

HRH The Duchess of Cambridge and Patron of the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, has supported the launch of a series of podcasts designed to help parents understand children's mental health. The Duchess said: "One in three adults still say they would be embarrassed to seek help for their child's mental health. No parent would fail to call the doctor if their child developed a fever, yet some children are tackling tough times without the support that can help them because the adults in their life are scared to ask. It doesn't need to be like this. Throughout my work with family and child support organisations, one thing that has stood out to me time and again is that getting early support for a child who is struggling to cope is the best possible thing we can do to help our children as they grow up. Knowing this, both William and I feel very strongly that we wouldn't hesitate to get expert support for George and Charlotte if they need it. I hope that this excellent series of podcasts by the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families will go some way to help families overcome that fear of what happens next if they look for professional support. They illustrate that many of the therapies are actually very simple and practical steps that include the whole family to help children make sense of the world around them. They show how with the right help, children have a good chance of overcoming their issues while they are still young, and can have the bright future they deserve. Please do listen, and share them with your friends and family and let's change the way we all talk to each other about our mental health." You can listen to the podcasts by searching for Child In Mind on the Anna Freud account iTunes or Soundcloud.
A photo posted by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Aug 14, 2016 at 1:43am PDT

Early this year, Kate Middleton, together with her husband, Prince William, and brother-in-law, Prince Harry, launched the Heads Together campaign, which underscores the importance of family bonding and quality time to mental health. The Duchess also wrote a lengthy piece on how parents shouldn't overlook the mental health of their children and treat this the same way they would ensure their son or daughter's physical health, via Huffington Post. Learn more about Kate Middleton's drive to increase mental health awarenewss in the video below.

Tags Mental health, Kate middleton