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Many
children suffer from a variety of mental health disorders,
even children who may live in healthy
environments. However, children who have been removed from
their homes because of abuse or neglect come to us having
experienced severe emotional trauma. Even babies and
toddlers can suffer with mental health difficulties. It is important as
grandparents and other caregivers that we be alert to the
behaviors that may signal a serious problem or disorder in
babies, young children, and our teenagers. It
is a tragedy for these children to suffer more than they already
have.
The following disorders are unfortunately too common among
children who are placed in foster homes as well as children
who are being raised by grandparents or other kin. This
information was in part taken from the American Academy
of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP). For a
more comprehensive list of psychiatric disorders visit their
website at
www.aacap.org/.
Anxiety
is something that all children will experience throughout
their childhood in one way or another. A child may
experience anxiety or distress when being separated from a
parent or close caregiver or develop temporary fears such as
fear of the dark. When anxieties become severe enough to
interfere with normal daily activities such as going to
school or playing with friends, a caregiver would do well to
consult a professional for an evaluation and advice.
Children with an anxiety disorder may experience the
following:
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Constant
thoughts and fears about safety of self and caregiver
-
Refusing to
go to school
-
Frequent
stomachaches and other physical complaints
-
Extreme
worries about sleeping away from home
-
Overly
clingy
-
Panic or
tantrums at times of separation from parents
-
Trouble
sleeping or nightmares
Children
with anxiety disorders may also experience phobias, (fears
of specific things), obsessions, excessive worrying,
and low self-esteem.
More
 Depression is defined as an illness when the feelings of
depression persist and interfere with a child or
adolescent’s ability to function. About 5 percent of
children and adolescents in the general population suffer
from depression at any given point in time. Children who are
under stress, who experience loss, who have attention or
learning difficulties, or who have conduct or anxiety
disorders are at a higher risk for depression. Even babies
and toddlers can be depressed. Depression
also tends to run in families.
Children and adolescents who cause
trouble at home or at school may actually be depressed but
not know it. Because the youngster may not always seem sad,
caregivers and teachers may not realize that troublesome
behavior is a sign of depression.
Early
diagnosis and medical treatment are essential for depressed
children. This is a real illness that requires professional
help.
More
Reactive Attachment Disorder is a
complex childhood psychiatric disorder that is characterized by
serious problems in emotional attachment to others and is
usually evident by age 5. It is associated with the
inability of the child to bond with a parent or caregiver in
infancy or early childhood.
Children may exhibit the following
behaviors:
Most children with this disorder have
had severe problems or disruptions in their early
relationships. This can be caused by various factors,
ranging from abuse and neglect to the child being born
prematurely and/or being hospitalized for severe medical
problems.
More
Conduct Disorder is a
complicated group of behavioral and emotional problems in
children. Young children and adolescents with this disorder have
great difficulty following rules and behaving in a socially
acceptable way. They are often viewed by other children,
adults and social agencies as "bad" or delinquent, rather
than mentally ill.
Many factors may contribute to a child
developing conduct disorder, including brain damage, child
abuse, genetic vulnerability, school failure, and traumatic
life experiences.
More
 Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder is not only experienced by adults. A
child who experiences a catastrophic event may develop
ongoing difficulties known as posttraumatic stress disorder
(PTSD). The stressful or traumatic event involves a
situation where someone's life has been threatened or severe
injury has occurred. The child may have been the victim or
witnessed physical abuse, sexual abuse, violence in the home
or in the community, an accident, or a natural disaster. A
child's risk of developing PTSD is related to the
seriousness of the trauma.
A child with PTSD may
show intense fear, helplessness, anger, sadness, horror, or
denial. The child may learn to numb painful emotions in
order to deaden or block the pain and trauma. This is called
dissociation. Children with PTSD may exhibit numerous
symptoms of the disorder. They may withdraw emotionally
and detach from feelings, have sleep problems, experience
irritability and angry outbursts, obsess over the memories,
act younger than their age, or even repeat behavior that
reminds them of the trauma.
More
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