Princess Kate Middleton attended the 2014 Portrait Gala.
Princess Kate, officially known as the Duchess of Cambridge sent a letter regarding children's mental health to the The UK Times on Thursday. Kate is the wife of Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge. Kate is a patron of children's mental health. She is a patron of Place2Be, a British organization that provides therapy and emotional support in schools.
The program helps 75,000 children in 200 schools in the United Kingdom. The Place2Be website features real stories of children who received treatment services from the program.
"A child's mental health is just as important as their physical health and deserves the same quality of support," said Kate. "William and I sincerely believe that early action can prevent problems in childhood from turning into larger ones later in life."
The UK Times website states that "half of all those with mental health problems as adults present symptoms by the age of 14, yet there is often little urgency in getting a child into treatment and support."
Child and mental health services should focus on prevention, according the UK Times report. By intervening early in children's lives, chronic or life threatening situations can be avoided. This can be done by quickly detecting and treating problems.
"We need to help young people and their parents understand that it's not a sign of weakness to ask for help," Kate said. "A child's mental health is just as important as their physical health and deserves the same quality of support. No one would feel embarrassed about seeking help for a child if they broke their arm -- and we really should be equally ready to support a child coping with emotional difficulties."
She is pregnant with her second child. She is due to give birth in late April of this year.
