Kate Middleton at Place2Be Charity
IN PHOTO: Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (L) presents Bailey Dunne (11) with the Child Champion award at the Place2Be Wellbeing in Schools Awards at Kensington Palace,London, November 19, 2014. REUTERS/Paul Hackett

Close to giving birth to her second baby, the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton is still very serious of her royal duties. She wants parents, teachers and health professionals to change their attitudes toward child mental health. She said this will be her advocacy when she returns to her duties after giving birth.

According to the Duchess, it is laudable that great strides have been achieved in reducing the stigma linked to adult mental health disorders. She said that it is amazing that the once taboo associated to mental health disorders is gone and now, adults diagnosed with these disorders can be treated accordingly. However, children dealing with mental issues are not given the same attention and this should be changed. In a message to The Times, the Duchess said that “I believe that our generation of parents, carers, teachers and health workers now have the chance to give the mental health of our children the focus it requires.”

The Duchess claimed that parents should not be afraid of asking for help if there is a need because early diagnosis of these mental disorders can yield better outcomes for the children. She said parents and those people surrounding the children should now there are help available when they need it. “Just as with physical health, we need to act early to provide support when a child is faced with emotional difficulties,” she said.

With her baby due at the end of April, the Duchess said it she would make it her personal responsibility to devote more time and effort to campaign for the cause of child mental health when she gets back to her public duties at the end of the year. She said she and her husband plan to play a part on changing peoples’ perceptions of child mental health issues for years to come.

This is not the first time that the Duchess put her efforts towards a cause benefiting the youth however. She is the patron of Place2Be, a charity organization that provides counseling and psychological help for young people across 235 schools. The charity has been one of her first responsibilities immediately after she got married. Children from the schools receive help to fight issues such as family breakdown and domestic violence. Bullied and neglected children in school and at home are also given the help they need.

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