CHILDREN MENTAL HEALTH

CHILDREN MENTAL HEALTH

Abstract

This report focuses on the information gathered from an interview on children’s mental health. The main aim was to get a better understanding of childhood mental health. The dimensions that caregivers should take to make sure that their children have good mental health. Get information on the mental health conditions that affect children. Detection techniques that can be used by parents to know their children have psychological issues. The experiences the interviewee has handling children with a mental disorder, and the disease she thinks is the most dangerous to the mental health of a child. From the findings, parents should have good relationships with their children and excellent communication skills to enable their children to have good mental health. They should also praise their kids and have better ways of solving problems. The conditions that affect the mental health of children include anxiety disorder, mood disorder, eating disorder, and attention deficit disorder. Symptoms associated with illness include; extra mood swings among children, the desire to hurt, and a child having a drastic change in behavior. Children that have a mental illness should be taken to a doctor for them to receive treatment. The primary type of treatment is through medication and psychotherapy. There is a need for parents to make sure the raising of their children is in an environment where their children are can interact freely with other people.

Introduction

I conducted a direct interview with a school psychologist working at Irvington, NJ, and has a specialization dealing with children. I intended to try and get an understanding of childhood mental health and the challenges that she faces with children who have a mental disorder. The mechanism used to detect children with an emotional problem, techniques used to control children who are misbehaving. Also, some of the practices that can help in reducing cases of childhood mental health disorders. The caregiver was willing to be part of the interview, and she had a positive mind while going into the conversation. I came to realize that the psychologist is 35 years old of age and passionate about the work she is doing. My discussion focused on four substantive areas: the feeling towards the job she does in terms of handling the children, educating, supporting, and counseling them. The challenges she faces while doing her job and the challenges she gets while dealing with children with mental disorders. To get some suggestions for the dimensions that the parents and caregivers should do to make sure that children have good mental health.

Basing on the information I gathered from the interview, and I realized that most problems that affect children concerning mental health are a reflection of the difficulties the children go through. Some of the issues may include psychological, social relationships, and emotional development. She also said that the best tips to make sure that your children have good mental health is through; encouraging your child’s creativity and being aware of your children’s behavior and actions. She stated that some of the challenges that most caregivers for children with mental disorders face include; they experience social, economic, and psychological linked difficulties. Also, the work is difficult; hence it needs a process of adjustments to make sure you are fully supporting children with mental illness. She emphasized that caregivers should always be there for the children to make sure children grow with good mental health.

Discussion

I started the interview by wanting to know her understanding of childhood mental health. According to her, children’s mental health entails a child having proper development in his or her behavior, social relationships, cognitive domains, and emotions. The child’s wellbeing determined by the characteristics of the child that involves gender and genetics. She also insisted that children’s mental health is linked directly to conditions that modify and affect the mental health of children. The aspects being the family of the child, the society that surrounds the kid and also the community has a significant impact.

For children to have good mental health, there is a need for parents and caregivers to have a good relationship with them. They should always be there for their children and telling them how much they are loved. The communication should in cooperate both the nonverbal communication alongside with body language (Hawkins et al., 2015). Caregivers should always praise their children and encourage them to more in the thing they are good at, hence making them feel the appreciation. The interviewee also says that there is a need for caregivers to always talk and listen to their children. It better for parents to avoid having busy schedules and create time for their children. Having better ways to solve problems, having excellent conflict management skills can help a parent solve a problem with a child without him or her feeling any form of intimidation. She also articulated the point that most of the parents usually discourage their children from connecting with others in the community. For a child to have good mental health, there is a need for parents to encourage them to interacts with others in society.

On the question about the mental illness that affects children. The mental illness that affects children is the same as those that affect the adults, but the children usually have a different way of expressing the sickness. She gave a good example that can differentiate the effect of the disease. It easy to notice children who are depressed because they are more irritated compared to adults. The mental health condition that most children experience includes; attention deficit disorder; most of the children that suffer from this condition seem to have a lot of difficulty in paying attention. Also, a good number of children usually have impulsive behaviors. Relying on the information given by the interviewee, the most common condition is an anxiety disorder. The anxiety the children face is social phobia, being obsessive, and compulsive. A child having stress makes it hard for him or her to function normally. Children also have the condition of the eating disorder; most of the children who suffer from this disorder usually focus more on food. Therefore, they have little or no concentration on other things. Mood disorders are also common among children, they typically have extreme mood swings, and they also feel sadness.

A caregiver can rely on signs and symptoms to detect if his or her child has a mental illness. Most of the universal symbol of a child having a mental illness is the change in moods. When a child has severe mood swings for more than one week because of having relationship problems with parent or outsider (for example, school), then the kid may have a mental illness. The teachers should make sure that children’s mental health is excellent. In case of any behavior that seems strange, there is a need for them to alert the parents. Intense feelings that are about fears or worries, hence affecting daily activity, can be linked to mental illness. A kid having a drastic change in behavior is also alarming. The difference in routine can include; having the desire to hurt his or her friends and frequently fighting (Institute of Medicine, 2009). Losing weight and difficulty in concentration is also a sign of mental illness. It includes a kid performing poorly in school and loosing eating appetite.

When the caregiver realizes that his or her child is having signs of mental illness. The best action is for the parent to take the child to a doctor. Give the doctor a clear description of the concerns he or she has towards the child. Most of the mental illness among children can be treated, and the most common methods are medication and psychotherapy (Merikangas, He, Brody, Fisher, Bourdon, Koretz, 2010). Drugs that are usually use on children are anti-anxiety medicines, antidepressants, and stimulants. In psychotherapy, the provider helps the child to know how he or she can respond to the disorders that are associated with mental illness. On the experiences, the interviewee has with children with mental illness. She has many instances where she has dealt with children who have a mental illness. She learned from all her experiences that kids need with such issues, require patience, and a lot of understanding. From her point of view, the most dangerous mental illness that affects the livelihood of a child is a mood disorder. Children should not be pushed to a situation where they suffer from depression. When a child is sad is the responsibility of the parent to make him or her gets to know the cause of the problem.

Most of the children who live in a neighborhood that is prone to violence can be extremely dangerous to the mental health of a child. It is the mandate of a parent to make sure that the environment where the child is being brought up is very conducive (Singh and Ghandour, 2012). The community should be an area where the child can get permission to mingle easily with people living there. The economic factor is also another issue that can directly affect the mental health of a child. In most of the situations, kids can go into depression because the parents cannot meet his or her needs. Parents should try and provide their kids with necessities. That will help in reducing mental illness among children.

Conclusion

            Children’s mental health should be taken with a lot of seriousness. The performance and wellbeing of children all rely on their mental health. Caregivers should pay attention to their children that will enable them to detect any change of behavior among their children. Parents should get educated about the mental health of children. It will allow them to know about the disorders associated with mental health. To understand the symptoms related to mental illness among children and to identify the steps to take when they discover the abnormalities in their children.  Therefore, there is a need for all stakeholders to make sure that information about children’s mental illness is known among every society. The children that have mental health illness should get the right medication to make sure they get better (Mairs and Nicholls, 2016). Creating institutions that help in handling the issue of mental illness among children will also help in creating a productive society. Hence, there is a need for the government and non-governmental organizations to come up with institutions that address children’s mental illness. A better world will be created with a society that makes sure the mental health of all children is their main priority.

References

Hawkins, J. D., Jensen, J.M., Catalano, R., Fraser, M.W., Botvin, G.J., Shapiro, V., Brown, C.H., Beardley, W., Brent, D., Leslie, L.K., Rotheram-Borus, M.J., Shea, P., Shih, A., Anthony, E., Haggerty, K.P., Bender, K., Gorman-Smith, D., Casey, E., and Stone, S. (2015). Unleashing the power of prevention. Discussion Paper, Washington, DC: Institute of Medicine and National Research Council.

Institute of Medicine (2009). Preventing mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders among young people: Report brief for policymakers.

Mairs, R., and Nicholls, D. (2016). Assessment and treatment of eating disorders in children and adolescents. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 101(12), 1168-1175.

Merikangas, K. R., He, J.-p., Brody, D., Fisher, P.W., Bourdon, K., Koretz, D.S. (2010). Prevalence and treatment of mental disorders among US children in the 2001-2004 NHANES. Pediatrics, 1, 75.

Singh, G. K., and Ghandour, R. M. (2012). Impact of neighborhood social conditions and household socioeconomic status on behavioral problems among US children. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 16(1), 158-169.

Appendix

Name of respondent:

Agency role:

Date:

Location of interview:

Interview question guide

1. What is your understanding of children mental health?
2. What are some of the dimensions that parents and caregivers should take to make sure children have good mental health?
3. What mental health conditions affect children?
4. How do you detect children having emotional problems?
5. What are some of the actions to take on realizing your child is having a mental issue?
6. What experience do you have working with children who have mental health disorders?
7. From your point of view, which is the most dangerous child’s mental illness?