One in five children is living with a mental illness, and 50% of all lifetime mental illnesses start by age 14.
The Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s On Our Sleeves movement, launched on World Mental Health Day in 2018, is on a national mission to break the stigma surrounding children’s mental health. With free online content and resources for families, schools, and physicians, these tools help support the youngest and most vulnerable patients who may be dealing with a mental health situation.
Look no further than On Our Sleeves to access support resources for behavioral health concerns like bullying, sleep problems, suicidal thoughts, and more. Even mental health fitness challenges and conversation starters that can help parents and kids talk openly about mental health are available online.
The On Our Sleeves movement, has created valuable resources for primary care physicians to make sure that kids everywhere have the best start in life, and to give them the voice they deserve.
- Prescribing guidelines for behavioral health
- A behavioral health webinar series
- The Positive Parenting Program.
On Our Sleeves is offering hope to families navigating mental health issues in their own lives. There are also conversation starters and tips for friends, families and co-workers who want support children living with mental illness.
On Our Sleeves has created a network of support around the millions of families around the country living with mental illness by addressing the stigma associated with this diagnosis and providing the tools necessary to improve behavioral health outcomes.
In addition to advocacy and education, On Our Sleeves supports accelerating behavioral health research with a focus on Nationwide Children’s Hospital, which operates the nation’s largest program for child and adolescent behavioral health. In March 2020, Nationwide Children’s will dedicate the Big Lots Behavioral Health Pavilion with the goal of developing a national model for pediatric mental health care and research.
The experts at Nationwide Children’s Hospital will expand clinical access for families, develop targeted prevention efforts, and initiate research to better understand the causes and most effective treatment of behavioral health conditions. Learnings gained from the clinicians and scientists at Nationwide Children’s will be freely shared to improve care for children everywhere. These discoveries will ultimately fulfill the mission and the promise of On Our Sleeves to improve outcomes for children living with mental illness.
If you would like to learn more about On Our Sleeves or would like to get involved, the campaign offers many ways to advocate, partner, share a story, attend an event, or simply shop for a cause. Details can be found online on how you can play an important role to help end stigmas and misconceptions about mental and behavioral health for Ohio’s kids.