by Brenda Haas, LMSW, Ed.M Why is children’s mental health shrouded with stigma and shame? If a child has diabetes we take them to get their insulin, and if they have asthma, we get them an inhaler. Childhood mental illness is real and very common. The National Institute for Mental Health reports that one out of five children in the U.S. suffers from a mental health disorder. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death in youth ages 15-24. In fact, half of all psychiatric illnesses occur before the age of 14, and 75 percent by the age ...