The emotional health and wellbeing for our children should be the greatest importance to a parent. Four million children and adolescents in the United States live with serious mental disorders (Hamburg, 2006). Some conditions include depression, anxiety disorders, which are the most frequent that may later on lead to drug abuse. Some develop eating disorders that include bulimia and anorexia, others develop attention deficits, become hyperactive or antisocial behavioral responses that may limit the ability to think and learn and form social attachments or communicate with others. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health disorders are one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Three of the ten leading causes of disability in people between the ages of 15 and 44 are mental disorders and the other cases are often associated with mental disorders and research has shown that most mental disorders begin in childhood and in adolescence (2009). Poor mental health can have an effect on wider health and development of adolescents in associations with social outcomes such as higher alcohol, tobacco and illicit substances, pregnancy, school dropout and even the act of wrong behaviors of a child. According to Beatrix A. Hamburg’s personal assessment from the Office of Technology, that 2.5 million of these children are receiving treatment and twelve percent of children under the age of eighteen suffer from a serious mental disorder, which represents 7.5 million youngsters in the United States. Mental health disorders could lead to difficulties in adolescence and problems in adulthood (2012). However, those with more severe mental disorders do tend to receive mental health services. Contributing Factors to Adole... ... middle of paper ... ...ch aims at scaling up services for mental disorders for low and middle income and familiarizes children with the proper care and psychosocial assistance and medication to tens of millions of children that could be treated for depression and other mental disorders (2009). People spend thousands of dollars on the works of treatments medicines and services for their children. We need to increase the availability and accessibility of treatment centers for children who develop these disorders. Pediatricians, teachers and mental health specialists should inform children on mental health so they are aware. Some programs and services that parents have available should include therapy, the National Institute on Health, Mental Health Programs, Family Health Services and Health maintenance organization to help parents in case they notice behavioral difference in their child.
Mental health is an important part of the overall health well-being for children. Childhood mental health disorder can affect children and their families causing a long-term impact on the parents and other family members as well as the child themselves. Mental disorders are described as chronic health conditions. These are disorders that can go on for a long period of time, that may continue throughout the lifespan. Without early diagnosis and treatment, children with mental disorders can have problems at home and in school. These problems can continue into adulthood for the child and cause other healthy development and delays.
According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), it defines mental illness as Mental illnesses are health conditions involving changes in thinking, emotion or behavior (or a combination of these). Mental illnesses are associated with distress and/or problems functioning in social, work or family activities. (What Is Mental Illness? (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2016, from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/what-is-mental-illness). Mental Disorders are a wide range of mental conditions that affect mood, thinking, and behavior. There are a lot of different psychological disorders here is a list of the major psychological disorders and their definitions:
I think we should really value the mental health of our children in the society if we want to develop this great Nation. The psychological well-being of our children affects us both directly and indirectly whether we accept this fact or not. It is very important that we ensure that our beloved children have the capabilities to adapt to the stresses, working productively both in school and also contribute to the developments in the community. Problems associated with mental illness or health are very common in this society especially in the institutions of learning be it high schools, colleges or even universities. Some health problems associated with mental health include depressions, bipolar disorders, anxiety disorders and at time schizophrenia. It is therefore of vital importance to encourage and promote the improvement of mental health among our children.
At least one in four families in the U.S. is affected by mental illnesses. Unfortunately there is no cure for this range of illnesses, which have been around for thousands of years. Of the American adult population, 5.4 percent have a serious mental illness. These health conditions are characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, behavior, or some combination of these. They are also associated with distress and sometimes impaired functioning. In 1990 the total cost of mental health services in the U.S. was $148 billion. According to a new report by the Mental Health Foundation, one in five children suffer from a mental health problem. Attention deficit hyperactive disorder is a mental illness that is diagnosed mainly in young children and doesn’t always disappear in adulthood.” All we know is that this genetic, inherited condition [ADHD] is not due to brain damage at all but rather a variation in how the brain functions.” Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) includes symptoms and characteristics that can be placed in one of three categories: inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. These characteristics commonly leave a person with ADHD with lack of attention span, easily distracted, fidgety, struggling to stay seated, having trouble engaging in calm activities, impatient, and talking excessively or out of turn. A new study by researchers says that hyperactive children have behavioral differences due to under active parts of their brain, a biological malfunction, rather than due to way they were brought up. This was revealed by a magnetic scanning device that allowed researchers to look at the brains of children diagnosed with ADHD. These studies and statistics reinforce the claim that mental illnesses are not invented simply to justify drugging of children and a disease that needs be educated to the public for better understanding. Rather, ADHD is an illness that affects many people throughout their lives. This topic is often misunderstood by the public. The media and medical community need to educate the positive side of this controversy and not just show the opposing view, which often times misrepresented by the media.
In the United States alone, 57.7 million individuals suffer from mental illness. These illnesses range anywhere from mood disorders to anxiety disorders or to personality disorders and so on (The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America). 18 to 25 year olds make up about 30% of these individuals alone (Survey Finds Many Living with Mental Illness Go Without Treatment). These individuals require care from medication to psychiatry or even to confinement. However, of these 57.7 million individuals with mental illness, studies have found that less than one in three of these individuals receive proper treatment (Studies Say Mental Illness Too Often Goes Untreated).
Depression in school-age children may be one of the most overlooked and under treated psychological disorders of childhood, presenting a serious mental health problem. Depression in children has become an important issue in research due to its many emotional forms, and its relationship to self-destructive behaviors. Depressive disorders are of particular importance to school psychologists, who are often placed in the best position to identify, refer, and treat depressed children. Procedures need to be developed to identify depression in students to avoid allowing those children struggling with depression to go undetected. Depression is one of the most treatable forms of disorders, with an 80-90% chance of improvement if individuals receive treatment (Dubuque, 1998). On the other hand, if untreated, serious cases of depression in childhood can be severe, long, and interfere with all aspects of development, relationships, school progress, and family life (Janzen, & Saklofske, 1991).
...‘Opportunities in public policy to support infant and early childhood mental health’, American Psychologist, vol. 66, no. 2, pp. 129-139.
Children are a crucial part of society. They participate in almost all aspects of a society whether it is in schools, community activities, or in the workforce. However, not all children develop the same skills and are granted the same opportunities as others because of a mental illness. Mental illnesses are as serious as physical illnesses and they negatively affect a child’s life. There are a variety of mental illnesses children may have with different levels of severity; mental illnesses hinder childhood development, and they affect a child’s social and home life.
In 1984 Congress began to appropriate funding to aid in the children’s mental health initiative. The present initiative that is in place is guided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration’s Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS). The need for reform and interventi...
The Medicated Child exposed the problem of medicating American children for mental illnesses. Diagnosing mental illness has always been difficult and that problem is only exacerbated in children. Common and controversial diagnosis for children that are talked about in this documentary are ADHA and bipolar. Often children will be misdiagnosed which can be a real problem when medication is being prescribed. Before the 90’s children where being prescribed medicine’s that were completely untested in their age group. This was just one of the many problems that the health community, family’s, and the children with these illnesses faced. This was thankfully changed due to government intervention and there is now some knowledge on how these drugs affect
The mental health assessment is a crucial part in everyday nursing care as it evaluates an individual’s mental condition to assess for risk factors of mental illnesses and provide optimal care and treatment. Mental health is described as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” (CDC) If the patient not mentally healthy, they can develop mentally illnesses, which can affect treatment and the disease process of physical ailments because without mental health a person cannot be completely healthy. “Suicide Risk Assessment in High Risk Adolescents” is a nursing article that outlines suicide risk factors and prevention strategies for assist nurses in performing mental health assessments. Suicide, the act of
Mental illness can impact every aspect of one’s life, destroying the buoyant life they once lived. Often the individual doesn't know why their life is crumbling, drowning them in despair. This happens far too often in teens and children, and without anyone noticing, it makes death seem like the only option. Consequently, suicide has risen 50% for teenage girls and 30% for teenage boys, so it's no surprise Americans want a fix. But how do you reach out to 74.2 million children? Every American child is required to go to school. By making mental health screenings mandatory in schools, it would help thousands, if not millions of children.
“The guilt I felt for having a mental illness was horrible. I prayed for a broken bone that would heal in six weeks. But that never happened. I was cursed with an illness that nobody could see and nobody knew much about.” Andy Behrman’s statement about there being a lack of knowledge about mental illness is one that some suffering from a mental illness had also mentioned. In addition to there being a lack of knowing about mental health, patients apart of studies that follow the experience attempting to get help also vented about the bars from getting help. Accessibility issues, distance from the mental health centers, a lack of qualified professionals mental health specialists were on that list. A number of the issues listed
Mental illness have been seen and treated as far back as 5000 B.C. In the beginning little was known about the actual cause of the illness, many in these ancient times believed that it was due to possession of demons. As civilization advanced knowledge of mental illness little by little was gained. Although the knowledge was no where as advanced has we have today, they believed that it was due to imbalances of blood, phlegm, bile and black bile. Even Today, people are still debating about mental illness and how they work and why. Mental illness is a broad term, mental illness refers to any mental health problems one may experience in their lifetime. “One in 25 Americans lived with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder,
Children, like any other age group, have their numbers steadily increasing with time. They too face the same issues as adults and need an intervention to help them recover. Children have the right to be prevented from mental health complications and the families and health systems should work together to enhance that. Enhanced systems should be able to detect such conditions early enough and provide interventions that solve the problem in the long run. Efficient detection systems can also help establish causes of mental issues among children and provide an opportunity for preventive health approaches.