KATV Channel 7 - The Spirit of Arkansas: Happy Children, Happy Adults

Do happy children grow into happy adults? There's new research that says kids with a positive experience in childhood will go on to have happier years as grown-ups.  A study out of Cambridge University finds that happy kids are 60-percent less likely to develop mental disorders than children who don't have a positive childhood.  Doctors say the research emphasized the importance of trying to help unhappy children while they're still young.  According to the National Institute of Health the majority of depressed kids never get any help because many teachers, counselors and even parents don't take their negative mood seriously.  Doctors say that one of the worst things parents can do is believe that the depression is just a phase.  They also say that parents need to find help for kids who feel unusual stress and anxiety.  The most important thing parents should do is intervene if they feel like their child or teenager is depressed or unhappy they should find help.  That will be the best way to counter-act a future that may be filled with mental difficulties.