Childhood Mental Health

By: Jessica Fansler & Ann Connelly

Autumn Quarter, 2005

ADHD

Anxiety Disorders

Bipolar Disorder

Depression

Eating Disorders

Schizophrenia

Relevant Links

Child Mental Health

• Mental health is how people think, feel, and act as they face life's situations. It affects how people handle stress, relate to one another, and make decisions. Mental health influences the ways individuals look at themselves, their lives, and others in their lives. Like physical health, mental health is important at every stage of life.
  

• Children and adolescents can have serious mental health problems.
  

• Like adults, children and adolescents can have mental health disorders that interfere with the way they think, feel, and act. When untreated, mental health disorders can lead to school failure, family conflicts, drug abuse, violence, and even suicide. Untreated mental health disorders can be very costly to families, communities, and the health care system.

Childhood Mental Illness

• Over 7 million children in US (1 in 10) are effected
• May lead to suicide
• Only 1 in 5 effected get appropriate services
  
  Common causes:
  • Imbalance in brain chemisty (biology)
  • CNS injury (head injury)
  • Emotional Trauma (inclues environmental stress)
  • Heredity (genetics)
    
    

  Incidence/Types of Mental Illnesses in Children

   Children and adolescents age 9–17 with mental or addictive disorders, combined MECA sample, 6-month (current) prevalence

                                                                  (%)

  Anxiety Disorders                                13.0

  Mood Disorders                                    6.2

  Disruptive Disorders                            10.3

  Substance Use Disorders                     2.0

  ________________________________________

  Any Disorder                                         20.9

  http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter3/sec1.html

   

  General Warning Signs

  • Drop in school performance
  • Unwarranted worry or anxiety
  • Inability to cope with daily problems
  • Changes in sleep or eating habits
  • Aggression towards others
  • Obsessive fear of fat
  • Drug/alcohol abuse
  • Excessive physical complaints
  • Loss of interest in friends & favorite activities
  • Increase in time spent alone
  • Hallucinations
  • Hyperactivity
  • Disobedience, defiance of authority
    
    

  Diagnosis

  • May be difficult to diagnose, as normal childhood behavior may be confused with symptoms

  • Typically rule out physical illnesses first

  • Usually requires referral to child psychiatrist or psychologist

   

  What IS Childhood Mental Illness?

  • Depression

  • Anxiety

  • Schizophrenia

  • Bipolar disorder

  • Autism (this will not be covered in this presentation, as there is much information available elsewhere)

  • Eating disorders

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

  .

  Each of these mental illnesses will be addressed on the following pages.