In many cases children who come from families that suffer from mental illness, they are more likely to exhibit these same behaviors. The children that come from families with long lines of mental illness are more likely to have mental illness themselves. It is important to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental illness in order to help people receive the help they need to cope with these symptoms.
There are many cases where mental illnesses are genetically passed from one generation to the next. In order to help control the seriousness of these mental illnesses it is important to provide early diagnosis and help to provide treatment as necessary. I think we can help people with mental illnesses with proper diagnosis and management of symptoms.
I chose to research Australia and their occurrence of mental illness in parents and caregivers. According to (American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 2007), children that come from from homes were depression and anxiety tend to have these same behaviors. About 21% to 23% children are living in households where at least one parent has a mental illness (Maybery, Reupert, Patrick, Goodyear & Crase, 2005). This makes it hard on the child because they learn to cope with their problems the same way their parents do.
From reading the information I have learned that mental illness can have serious effects on families. I think it is very important to help educate families and children on the importance of mental health and offer referrals to others services when possible.
References:
American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, (2007) Vol. 77, No. 3, 362–36
My mother worked as a special education teacher, ad then worked with people with mental illnesses as a case manager. It was refreshing to read your post on an informational level rather the experience of seeing her work.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. I think it is great she was a special education teacher. I also think it is great she worked as a case manager. It is so important to have caring people to help out people suffering from mental illness.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Jennifer! Before switching to the education program, I studied mental health counseling at Walden. Although I enjoy the education program much more than the counseling program, I do believe that it is important to have a thorough understanding of mental health issues and its impact on development. Mental health is a topic that has gotten more recognition in recent years, but there is still a stigma associated with it. Helping parents and caregivers understand mental illness and how to get help can decrease the stigma and create a better environment for children.
ReplyDeleteThe mental health of families and caregiver is a topic that I have become aware of more so in the last couple of years. I had a student last year whose mother was suffering from bipolar disorder and drug abuse. It was a very unstable home and I saw the children struggle in school because they didn't want to open up about their mother and because they were always concerned for her well-being and whether or not she would be alive or around when the school day ended. You mention that it is important to recognize the signs of mental illness so that the person can get help. How would you go about working with a child whose parent you suspected to have a mental illness, but the parent wasn't willing to indicate they had an illness? In other words, what can we do for those silent children who may be suffering in a home of mental illness, and in turn, be at risk for the same 'illness'?
ReplyDeleteI have encountered many cases where the parent seems to be suffering from some sort of mental illness. I think it is very important to build a good rapport with the parent and try to get the parent to open up to you. Working with Headstat, there are many programs available that we can refer parents and children to. I would approach the subject lightly and talk with the parent and try to get them to open up. This has worked for me in the past. I have encountered many parents that are going through tough times and just need someone to talk to. I think if you can build up a relationship based on trust with the parent this will be beneficial and all the parent to open up more to you. Try to get the parent invalided in the child's education and this will alway you to spend more time with the parent and hopefully enable the parent to open up to you more.
ReplyDeleteJennifer,
DeleteI couldn't agree more. In the preschool programs such as Head Start and state-funded programs such as GSRP that I work with, we often have the opportunity to build rapport with the family and get to know them. Unfortunately, that is not the case in the older levels. In the school I taught second grade in, there was not much parent, or community, involvement and therefore, despite efforts, it was often very difficult to build any sort of relationship with the family. All we can do is try and continue to advocate for healthy environments for the children!