Kate Middleton is taking her place as an advocate for youth mental health.
The Duchess of Cambridge posted as a guest editor on The Huffington Post UK on Thursday to promote a new campaign, Young Minds Matter, which will bring light to and remove the stigma surrounding mental illness in young children.
In her post titled "Let's Make a Real Difference in the Lives of Young Children," Her Royal Highness shared the many things that can trigger or exacerbate mental illness in young children. She also mentioned the silence and shame that can surround the issue, saying, "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." She also noted that The Huffington Post recently published research that said that a third of parents worried that they would look like a bad parent if their child had a mental illness.
The Duchess also shared her own personal feelings about dealing with mental illness in her own family. "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," she said in her post.
Young Minds Matter is a new Huffington Post UK series for which the Duchess of Cambridge will serve as a guest editor. It will include a series of articles that seek to spark conversation about emotional health and well being among young children and also introduce solutions to reducing the stigma around youth mental illness. The campaign has already sparked conversation, and you can see some of the testimonials here.