Duchess of Cambridge guest edits the Huffington Post
Her Royal Highness the duchess of Cambridge is guest editing today’s (Wednesday 17 February) UK edition of the Huffington Post as part of a collaboration designed to improve and better understand mental health issues affecting young people.
Young Minds Matter will see the duchess write and edit a series of articles exploring this theme, drawing on her own experience of working with charities dealing with addiction, family breakdown and vulnerable children.
This follows publication of new research by the Huffington Post which suggests that a third of parents worry they will be perceived as a bad mother or father if their child is diagnosed with a mental health problem.
Introducing the series the duchess said: “The mental health of our children must be seen as every bit as important as their physical health. For too long we have been embarrassed to admit when our children need emotional or psychiatric help, worried that the stigma associated with these problems would be detrimental to their futures.
“Like most parents today, William and I would not hesitate to seek help for our children if they needed it. We hope to encourage George and Charlotte to speak about their feelings, and to give them the tools and sensitivity to be supportive peers to their friends as they get older. We know there is no shame in a young child struggling with their emotions or suffering from a mental illness.”
Throughout the series readers will be introduced to a number of people who’ve had direct experience of the issues raised; including a bereaved wife who discovered that her husband’s suicide arose from depression with which he had battled since the age of 10.