Child mental health warning signs highlighted during May awareness discussion

Medical oncologist Dr. Shella Fortune says Child Month and Mental Health Awareness Month should prompt families to take children’s emotional wellbeing more seriously, particularly as young people face pressures that can affect them physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Speaking during a Daytime Live discussion on healthy minds and healthy futures, Fortune said many adults grew up without the language to describe depression, anxiety or other emotional struggles. She said today’s focus should be on helping children understand what they are experiencing and giving them support before problems deepen.

Fortune said parents and caregivers should first know a child’s usual behaviour, since warning signs often appear as changes from that pattern. She pointed to withdrawal, loss of appetite, reduced playfulness in younger children, poor interaction with others, and losing interest in activities they previously enjoyed. Some children, she said, may also respond by acting out, throwing tantrums or struggling to socialise with peers.

She said Caribbean families have often treated such behaviour as simple disobedience, rudeness or a phase children will outgrow. However, Fortune said careful observation is important, and a fuller assessment may include input from teachers, parents, the child and a doctor.

For parents, she said the work begins with being involved enough to notice small changes in daily routines and emotional responses. She also urged adults to create a space where children feel safe to speak, even when parents are tired, upset or frustrated.

Fortune said children need reassurance that their parents remain available to them despite everyday stress. She said that connection depends on understanding what helps each child communicate and what makes them feel secure.

The discussion also touched on cancer awareness in May. Fortune, who specialises in cancer care, said melanoma, brain cancer and bladder cancer are among the cancers highlighted during the month. She described them as less common than some other cancers that receive dedicated awareness months, but still important to discuss.

Fortune also said Alliance International Medical Limited in Drax Hall, St. Ann, is focused on comprehensive and compassionate oncology care, covering cancer diagnosis through treatment, with an aim of strengthening care in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.