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(f) General health education—It should not be forgotten that mental health education is
only one aspect of health education, and that all the media used, posters, films, lectures,
etc., have a 'psychiatric' aspect. Perhaps the most successful are those in which the
'psychology' is so implicit as not to be apparent, and it is therefore acceptable as 'commonsense'.
An example which comes to mind is the popular Central Council for Health
Education leaflet, 'Toys for Teresa and Timothy', which was based on a design by a
group of London health visitors and incorporates in advice to parents on everyday matters
some of the teachings of the early pioneers in the field of the psychological development of
children which are now generally accepted.
VII—Conclusion
In the preceding pages it has been convenient to treat the child psychological services
in separate sections. The services described are not in fact separate entities; on the contrary
the constant aim is their integration.
It is perhaps too early yet to attempt to assess with any accuracy the value of all the
educational and medical work with maladjusted children and their families which has
been described.
An apparently growing number of children do not fit happily into the normal social
pattern and it is important that every effort be made to enable them to do so, because
failure involves a heavy cost to society and unhappiness to their parents and friends.
The cost is no less great because much of it will fall upon the next generation, who will be
affected by their inability to make permanently satisfactory relationships as spouses or
parents or workers. This cost, though incalculable, must be far more than that of these
services. Nevertheless, there is a duty to determine what success is achieved and how best
the limited efforts available can be employed, but the evaluation of such work is immensely
difficult. Some attempts have been and are being made and the Education Committee
has asked the National Foundation for Educational Research to consider how to
further this assessment. No doubt all children (and adults too) are at times maladjusted
with reference to the society around them, but few are maladjusted all the time. Deaf
children, educationally subnormal children and those with other handicaps are more often
maladjusted than children without handicaps. There are never likely to be sufficient
psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers to treat all the mentally sick in the community,
and the chief hope therefore must always lie in the education of the nursing,
teaching and medical professions, and indeed of the whole community, in the prevention
of emotional maladjustment and mental ill health.
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