The Onset of Mental Problems in Children - Essay Example

Mental Disorders Affecting Children Introduction A considerable population of the United s adolescent children is faced with mental problems with an average twenty percent diagnosed with mental problems. As Behrman (2012) stated, it is common to refer to the problems as mental illness; because they are caused by either physical factor which includes heredity or brain chemistry although the two are invariably different. This literature review develops a critical focus on the mental conditions facing children and relevant evidence-based intervention measures. Background As compared to adults, it is almost futile to identify the onset of mental problems in children by the medics’ professionals. A study developed by Kieling (2011) on key evident characteristics of children facing mental problems established that children are undergoing mental, physical and emotional changes, unlike adults, continue to grow. As such, they pass through hard-time while adapting to their new environment and on how to relate to the whole world. Consequently, this exposes them to mind changes, which, if not controlled they can result in mental problems. Having different genetic makeup, children will show a diverse range of their growth patterns. All children do not naturally grow the same way, or at the same time. Christophersen (2013) argued that in order to accurately diagnose children’s mental problems, medics should consider the entire behavioral patterns depicted. Thus, they should consider how the children behave in school, while with their age mates or at home, not overlooking the relevance of age as a determinant in diagnosis of mental problems. In this case, such an evaluation and determination process should be vast and exclusive in that it should encompass and incorporate the various aspects of a child’s life that influence their attitudes. The study by Christophersen (2013) noted that the low social status children in the society face an increased exposure and risk of encountering mental problems, including street children, school dropouts, crime and criminals apprehended by the authority. However, the study argued that if the symptoms of mental problems are identified early enough, they are curable ensuring the exploitation children full potential. Mental Concern in Children There are two common mental health concerns, identified as affecting a majority of the children diagnosed with mental problems. Although there are other varied mental problems affecting children globally, the two have been listed as the most common as well as fatal among adolescent children in the USA. The two problems are anxiety disorders and attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder respectively. Anxiety Disorder In most cases, anxiety disorders in school going children are characterized by fear or nervousness. Christophersen (2013) discussed that this may be caused by performance in school or happenings in the Childs day to day life. Although the fear and being nervous is common in children, it develops into a disorder when it interferes with their mental functioning when a child can no longer control their fear or nervousness. Consequently, the ripple effect is that such a child can no longer concentrate in their daily activities such as studies among others. On its own, anxiety disorder is very serious since it can last for a lifetime. However, it is not permanent, but evolves under different situations that elicit nervousness or fear to the individual, which can at times be a genetic disorder. Additionally, it can be caused by happenings in places that are directly involved with the child such as home, school, and friends. Stress is a chief source of the anxiety disorder. Mostly, this affects children who are brought up in deprived conditions. Attention Deficit Due to its increased concern and implications, medical health professionals have embarked to establish the causes of this disorder. Fazel (2012) in a case study on this challenge noted that this disorder is the most critical as compared to the other children mental problems. As such, this problem is characterized by absent-mindedness and also day- dreaming of children. This drastically affects the children’s attention in the class or when being addressed by any other person in any setting. Consequently, it is not in all settings that children loose attention, in less important or areas that are not involving they are much attentive. This condition is also referred to as hyperactivity disorder. Most of the children, with the attentive disorder, have problems in maintaining healthy social relations, as most of their actions lead them into troubles. As a result, this may decrease the child’s self-esteem and a feeling of rejection results. Lack of paying proper attention usually results in poor judgment. This results in making un-informed decisions by the children and young adults. Consequently, this may land them into a problem with the authority that may mark a start of distracted lives. Intervention Measures Two interventions can be used to children affected by the two medical problems. It can either be a medical intervention or psychotherapy interventions. Psychotherapy interventions involve the patient with a trained counselor who helps the patient to recognize themselves by understanding the symptoms. They help them understand themselves and adapt positively upon realization. A study by Swords (2011) stated that the main role of psychotherapy is understanding you, what triggers the mental problem and working towards changing the behavior. It is a personal therapy and individual efforts matters most. In medical interventions, there are various drugs that are used to treat mental disorders, including antidepressants, anti-anxiety, anti-psychotic, mood stabilizing and stimulant medications. Hence, the decision on medication appropriate for a patient is decided by the medical professional. The drugs can be prescribed to the patient either in combination or independently. BCMHC Program Community education program is one of the current programs available at BCMHC. This program is aided by a group of trained medics, psychiatrists, and clinicians. They provide services to the community to boost their health conditions. They have a part in their program that deals with problems affecting children and young adults. Additionally, they offer medication to the affected children. This program is carried out extensively in all areas where people inhabitant. Through this program, they have established learning centers, which includes a rehabilitation center to those who have been extensively affected. They also help in sponsoring those children from families with a high level of poverty (Totsika, 2012). However, this is beneficial because the two major mental health concerns are caused by stress and lack of attention. References Bethell, C. D., Kogan, M. D., Strickland, B. B., Schor, E. L., Robertson, J., & Newacheck, P. W. (2011). A national and state profile of leading health problems and health care quality for US children: key insurance disparities and across-state variations. Academic Pediatrics, 11(3), S22-S33. Fazel, M., Reed, R. V., Panter-Brick, C., & Stein, A. (2012). Mental health of displaced and refugee children resettled in high-income countries: risk and protective factors. The Lancet, 379(9812), 266-282. Kieling, C., Baker-Henningham, H., Belfer, M., Conti, G., Ertem, I., Omigbodun, O., ... & Rahman, A. (2011). Child and adolescent mental health worldwide: evidence for action. The Lancet, 378(9801), 1515-1525. Moffitt, T. E., Arseneault, L., Belsky, D., Dickson, N., Hancox, R. J., Harrington, H., ... & Caspi, A. (2011). A gradient of childhood self-control predicts health, wealth, and public safety. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(7), 2693-2698. Nikulina, V., Widom, C. S., & Czaja, S. (2011). The role of childhood neglect and childhood poverty in predicting mental health, academic achievement and crime in adulthood. American Journal of Community Psychology, 48(3-4), 309-321. Swords, L., Heary, C., & Hennessy, E. (2011). Factors associated with acceptance of peers with mental health problems in childhood and adolescence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 52(9), 933-941. Totsika, V., Hastings, R. P., Emerson, E., Lancaster, G. A., & Berridge, D. M. (2011). A population‐based investigation of behavioural and emotional problems and maternal mental health: associations with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 52(1), 91-99. Weisz, J. R., Chorpita, B. F., Palinkas, L. A., Schoenwald, S. K., Miranda, J., Bearman, S. K., ... & Research Network on Youth Mental Health. (2012). Testing standard and modular designs for psychotherapy treating depression, anxiety, and conduct problems in youth: A randomized effectiveness trial. Archives of General Psychiatry, 69(3), 274-282. Read More