Mental Health And Emotional Development

Mental illness in itself is a problem, however as humans we have not discovered a way to reverse or remove it. Although researchers have been able to establish common patterns in those who are diagnosed with mood disorders, we do not have any objective information at all. Researchers claim that it can be a combination of our genetics and brain chemistry. (MedWeb, 2015) Despite this gray area, we have discovered a way to suppress the symptoms of mental illness, however many of our children are paying for this at a high

Being the child of a parent who has a mental illness involves considerable risk to the child’s secure attachment and long-term mental health. Parental mental health concerns place children at a significantly greater risk of lower social, psychological and physical health than children in families not affected by mental illness. (Mayberry et al, 2005).

Mental health problems such as depression and anxiety have been attributed to several factors such as excessive stress, genetic predisposition, biochemical imbalances, and even sociocultural status. As with other diseases, mental illnesses are often manifested through a combination of physical as well as emotional symptoms.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness a mental illness can be defined as “a condition that impacts a person 's thinking, feeling or mood and may affect his or her ability to relate to others and function on a daily basis.” Mental illness can be the result of multiple factors such as lifestyle, socioeconomic status, and genetics. There are a few mental illness that we primarily associate with people that commit these malicious acts such as; Bipolar Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Depression, Dissociative Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Schizophrenia.

Children can find it hard coping if a family member has mental health issues. It can affect their lives and their emotional/social and intellectual development.

These services are mainly psychotherapy and biomedical therapy. Psychotherapy is understanding your mind and illness, helping cope with feelings and symptoms, and changing behavior patterns that cause symptoms of the illness. When children don’t use the proper mental health services, they are at a greater risk for difficulties later in life such as substance abuse, suicide, or involvement with the correctional system (Turner). Therefore it is, important to not only attend psychotherapy but to also be on the proper medication when dealing any mental illness. In the American Psychiatric Association’s new DSM-5, fifteen new disorders are listed. Some mental health professionals fear that medication will now be given to those who would have earlier been seen as the “worried well” (Rubinstein, 2013). The key is to distinguish when one is mentally ill and needs assistance and when they are just going through a tough situation. Many psychologists have been through the same situation, and could help guide past that tough time in

Have you ever wondered why states spend roughly one billion dollars a year on children (20 and under) who are attempting suicide or have attempted suicide (Nami, 2010)? That is due to the thousands of children who live their daily lives with an undiagnosed mental disorder. What is children’s mental health? Children’s mental health is defined as growing emotionally while developing healthful social skills and learning how to deal with problems (CDC, 2013). Some mental disorders found in children include: mood and anxiety disorders, behavior disorders, Autism spectrum disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), schizophrenia, and substance use disorder. ADHD, a neurodevelopmental disorder, is the most common disorder of children

The research I have uncovered from talking with people who cope with a mental illness have had an either traumatic or rough childhood. They have faced hardships such as death in the family, parental substance abuse, or molestation. Some hardships have been the cause of their substance abuse and/or depression while others have always had the illness (such as bi polar disorder) but lacked others understanding and medical intervention.

numerous individuals in America, with nearly 43.8 million adults in America living with a serious illness (Mental health facts in America, n.d). Many of these adults suffering with a mental illness also play the role of a mother, father, or caregiver. According to Costea (2011), “…31% of American women and about 17% of men have a 12-month prevalence of at least one psychiatric disorder, and of those 65% are mothers and 52% are fathers”. However, research focuses on the individuals suffering from a mental illness, and often overlooks the patient’s children and the distress the parents’ mental illnessmay cause on their children. Children of parents with a mental illness deal with a complex life that is filled with

Children with mentally ill parents often have a mental illness of their own. Typically when the term “mental illness” is used, many people believe it to be schizophrenia, multiple personality disorder, or severe bipolar disorder; a mental illness can be depression or something as simple as anxiety. Children who have ill parents, especially if they are in and out of psychiatric hospitals, “find it difficult to cope because they do not have the maturity and coping tools to deal with certain complex situations.” (Byrne). An unstable relationship between child and parent(s) can lead to many issues with the child, such as high anxiety levels. Children with high anxiety levels often “find it difficult to concentrate on a task or school work due to their anxiety.”

Another issue is that personality disorders can lead to dangers to families. Stress can be a huge factor in families with children or parents that possess disorders. If one watches day-time TV they see on many shows the effects that a family can have with a child or parents with personality disorder. Often medication can cost a lot of money leaving the family struggling to pay the mortgage on the house or to pay for food to put on the table. The child could also resort to violent tendencies like hitting siblings or hurting parents and can add additional pain to the family probably costing emotional and physical stress and more doctor bills as well.

Therefore, this therapy can be used to help families with schizophrenic members, violent temperaments, uncontrolled substance or alcohol abuse, chronic problems (that affect all members), and those who want to improve relationship skills. Its goal is to build a supportive collaboration between counselor and the family and teaches skill-building techniques to help families gain control over their circumstances. Strength and resiliency are taught to families dealing with chronic problems (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013, p.415). Psychoeducation does follow some of the techniques used by traditional treatments, such as cooperating with the family, acquiring the trust of its members, remaining unbiased, and figuring out the best methods to have positive conclusions. In summary, the program helps families learn problem-solving approaches that will help them have prosperous marital or parent-child relationships (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013, p.416).

The stigmas surrounding mental health create a barrier not only for the treatment of the parents suffering from these disorders but also for their children. For parents, a staggering 2/3 of the population suffering from mental illnesses, admitting that they cannot care for themselves and their children can be extremely difficult and thus their children suffer. It is said that 30-50 percent of children with mentally ill parents will have a psychiatric diagnosis in comparison to 20 percent of the general population. Many times, even when parents do choose treatment information about their children is rarely

68% of women and 57% of men that suffer from a mental illness are parents. Mental illness is a substantial contributing factor to child poverty. Many children have a parent who has had a long-term mental health problem, and this can lead to alcohol or drug problems.

It is well know that foster Children have a very hard time finding a permanent home and adjusting to their new home. The majority of foster children go through this process of finding a home at a very young age. For most of these children it occurs during very young age which is the most important time for develop mental processes. Therefore foster children are at risk of cognitive and social- emotional development delays. (Jacobson et. al 2013). As mentioned in the article “research has underscored the importance of early, nurturing caregiver environments on brain development, and the importance of positive brain-environment interaction during the first 2 years of life has also been documented by research on foster care and adoption”(Jacobson et. al 2013). The article currently looks at, specifically the issue of foster children’s cognitive development and social- emotional functioning specifically of children ages between 2 to 3 years of age. There has been previous research done on this article. A research done to look at this issue was one done in Romanian were 136 institutionalized children were randomly selected. These children were selected to continue to be institutionalized or placed in foster care. In this study, the foster parents were selected and trained,