In her address at the inaugural ARC Conference 2023 in London, psychoanalyst and parent coach Erica Komisar described the child mental health epidemic and examined the underlying causes, calling for better support for families, which in turn will benefit the social fabric. “There is no social fabric without healthy families,” she said. 

 “‘Our children are under the worst academic pressure that we have ever heard in history,” warned Komisar. Lamenting the absence in parental presence due to the contemporary labour market, Komisar affirmed that “there is no substitute for parents spending time with their children.”

Komisar, who has written two books on parenting, offered practical solutions to improve conditions for kids. “Governments need to give all mothers the option to stay home for a full year and support them with resources so they can work part-time for another two years,” she told the conference. 

Komisar also called for school to start later for teenagers, tax incentives for married parents, a tax credit system incentivising parents to invest in mental health care, and flexible working arrangements to allow new parents to spend more time with their children.

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