May was first declared as Mental Health Awareness Month in 1949. In 2006, Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day was chosen as a special day during this month to focus on the mental health needs of children. Since 2006, May has been a time to acknowledge the importance of children's mental health, show that positive mental health is essential to a child's healthy development from birth, promote positive youth development, resiliency, and recovery, along with the transformation of mental health service delivery for youth, adolescents, and their families.
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) has compiled a list of helpful resources for parents and caregivers, children, mental health providers, child welfare and juvenile justice professionals, healthcare providers, educators and school staff, military families, and policy makers.
A list of external resources related to children's mental health awareness is available here.
Offers details on how early childhood trauma is unique, the scope of the problem, as well as the symptoms and behaviors associated with exposure to trauma at an early age.
Offers parents, caregivers, and providers answers to commonly asked questions about child physical abuse.
Features a first-person narrative illustrating how a family can move through the pain of loss and go on to heal. The family shares their personal experiences of the traumatic grief experienced by one daughter after her sister's sudden death.
Offers information to providers about the impact of traumatic medical events.