Mental Illness In Children

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Kiran is not your average 11 year old. At the age of 5 years old he was diagnosed with early onset depression. Many wondered how a 5 year old could possibly have a mental disorder. Fortunately for Kiran, his teachers realized there was something peculiar about his behavior and notified his parents (NY Times, 2010). It is estimated that 1 out of 5 children in the United States like him will be diagnosed with a mental disorder. If not addressed, mental illnesses negatively impact the child and their ability to learn and contribute to society. Due to the increase in diagnoses of mental illnesses in children, it is imperative that communities implement more supportive programs for children. The DSM-V classifies a mental disorder as a behavioral…show more content…
Children living in war zones are more likely to develop PTSD and anxiety disorders. A study indicated that 75% of Iranian children who witnessed a public hanging next to their primary school later developed PTSD (Attari et al., 2006). In countries such as Venezuela and Syria who are undergoing civil wars, children will be left without parents and that will also negatively impact their mental health. Children also develop high levels of anxiety and paranoia. When asked where her mother was by Humans of New York photographer Brandon Stanton, a little girl became fearful and asked “Why do you want my mother?” These children are conditioned to expect the worst by their environment, riddling their young mind with paranoia when a stranger approaches. Anxiety has physical symptoms that can be detrimental to a child’s growth as well. It can cause ulcers, intestinal blockages and headaches. The inability to treat these symptoms may result in more stress placed upon the child and their…show more content…
This has been proven not to be true. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder in which a person may be unable to move, think rationally or behave property. It is most commonly seen amongst young adult males. January Schofield is an exemption to that. Susan and Michael Schofield have two mentally ill children, January and Bodhi. January is 12 years old and she is one of the earliest diagnosis of schizophrenia in the United States. At a few months old, January would stare off into space and follow objects that weren’t there. At age 6 at UCLA, her parents finally found the answer they were looking for; early onset severe schizophrenia. Things did not get easier from there. While her mental health deteriorated, her parents had a second child, Bodhi. Bodhi too exhibited the same symptoms and was later diagnosed with intermittent explosive disorder, autism spectrum disorder and paranoid schizophrenia (James, 2014). Schizophrenia is one of the only diseases that is incredibly heritable with a 10-40% chance of passing it from parent to child. There are a variety of things that can cause schizophrenia, stress being one of
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