Together

Together, we have the chance to make a real difference for an entire generation of young children.” (Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge)

Children and teenagers are growing and constantly changing. It’s normal to change as we learn new things and our bodies transform into our adult selves. At what point should we start worrying that our child’s tantrums or teenager’s mood swings are more than growing pains? Children can develop all of the same mental health conditions as adults, but sometimes express them differently.

 If your child is showing one or more of the changes below, and it’s impacting their daily life, the best thing to do is talk to them about how they’re feeling. Then talk to your family doctor to rule out other explanations

 

·        Shown sudden changes in their behavior? (e.g., an active child becomes quiet and withdrawn or a good student suddenly starts getting poor grades)

·        Suddenly changed their feelings? (e.g., a child may show signs of feeling unhappy, worried, guilty, angry, fearful, hopeless or rejected)

·        Started avoiding places or situations that others don’t routinely avoid?

·        Recently complained of physical problems like frequent headaches or stomach aches, problems eating or sleeping, or a general lack of energy?

·        Started suddenly keeping to themself?

·        Started to use (or is using more) alcohol or other drugs, especially when alone?

·        Shown signs that they’re having trouble coping with regular activities and everyday problems?

·        Shown little regard for the feelings or property of others?

·        Expressed terror or disgust over their weight, or changed how they eat, in unhealthy ways?

·        Started making odd or repetitive movements beyond regular playing?

·        Deliberately hurt themself or talked of suicide?

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The good news is that mental illnesses can be treated successfully, and early treatment can help reduce the impact of a mental illness on your child’s life. The kind of treatment that works best for your child will depend on your child’s diagnosis. Here are some of the more common mental illness diagnoses for a child:

1.   Anxiety Disorders are the most common illness to affect children and youth. About 6% of kids experience an anxiety disorder at some point. People who experience an anxiety disorder often have strong feelings of fear and worry.

They feel this much more intensely than the average person. They might worry continuously about things that seem small to others or have fears that might stop them from doing normal, everyday things (like sleeping or going out in public). When people start to avoid things that worry or frighten them it’s called a ‘phobia’.

2.   Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) makes it very difficult for kids to focus their attention. This condition typically includes these symptoms: hyperactivity and impulsive behavior. Some children with ADHD have symptoms in all of these categories, while others might have symptoms in only one.

 

3.   Bipolar Disorder is a mood disorder that may affect up to about 1% of young people. It usually starts during the teenage years, but in rare cases, it may be seen in younger children. Bipolar disorder can cause a young person’s moods to change back and forth between extremely high moods, called mania, and extremely low moods, called depression. People who experience bipolar disorder (which used to be called ‘manic depression’)

 

4.   Depression is a mood disorder that shows up most often during the teenage years. About 3.5% of young people experience depression. Depression can affect a child or youth’s attitudes and emotions, making them feel unusually sad or irritated for more than two weeks at a time. People who experience depression often feel very miserable or exhausted for long periods of time. They often have no energy to do anything at all. Sometimes even to get out of bed or to eat. They might sleep all day and not want to do the things they once enjoyed. They might also feel stressed, grumpy or cry for no reason. They can’t get out of it’ or make themselves feel better no matter how hard they try.

 

5.   Eating Disorders are less common in young children, but the risk increases with age. Anorexia affects up to 1% of young males and females aged 15-24, and bulimia affects up to 3% of young people in Canada. Eating disorders involve a distorted body image along with seriously harmful behaviors to manage food and weight making it difficult to nourish oneself properly. People experiencing eating disorders are often obsessed by thoughts about food and their body weight.

This includes people who deliberately don’t eat much at all (anorexia nervosa), and people who ‘binge’ on lots of food in a very small time period and then make themselves vomit the food back up (bulimia) or overeat all the time (compulsive overeating). Eating disorders — such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder — are serious, even life-threatening, conditions. Children can become so preoccupied with food and weight that they focus on little else.

A person with an eating disorder can put huge effort into hiding it and may be constantly dieting, making excuses not to eat, avoiding social situations where there’s food and exercising a lot. They might spend a lot of time worrying about what they look like and feel depressed, anxious or irritated.

Might at times feel down and miserable. At other times they may feel energetic, over-excited and unable to calm down. When they’re feeling over-energetic they might not sleep much, go on huge shopping sprees, cook or clean lots or be really talkative or have big ideas. They might also be stressed and only able to concentrate for a very short amount of time.

6.   Psychosis is a condition that involves loss of contact with reality. People who experience psychosis have difficulty thinking clearly. It affects 3% of the total population but most often appears later in adolescence and early adulthood. It can be seen on its own or combined with others.

 As a person loses touch with reality, they might see or hear things that aren’t really there (hallucinations) or have unusual ideas that aren’t shared by other people (delusions). For example, they might believe that someone is trying to harm them or their family. It can be really frightening for people who are unwell and for their children and families, especially if they don’t know that this is a form of illness.

7.   Schizophrenia affects about 1% of the total population, and usually shows up between the ages of 15 and 25. Schizophrenia makes it hard for people to think and speak in an organized way. It can also cause people to lose touch with reality. If a person has had more than one episode of psychosis and other symptoms that last longer than six months, they may be described as experiencing schizophrenia. Schizophrenia most often appears in the late teens through the 20s.

 

8.   Suicide often goes alongside a mental illness. Suicide continues to be the second leading cause of death among 15 to 24 year-olds in British Columbia (BC) after motor vehicle accidents. Suicidal thinking or attempts are also common. A BC survey found that in one year, 5% of youth had made a suicide attempt and 12% seriously thought about suicide.

 

.“The mental health of our children must be seen as every bit as important as their physical health,” she wrote. “For too long we have been embarrassed to admit when our children need emotional or psychiatric help, worried that the stigma associated with these problems would be detrimental to their futures.” (Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge)[i]

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[i] Sources used:

·        “Different types of mental illness” by CoPMI

·        “Mental illness in children: Know the signs” by Mayo Clinic Staff

·        “Mental Illnesses in Children and Youth” by Heretohelp