Mental Illnesses Of Children

Mental illness is a term used to refer to many different ranges of mental disorders that can be diagnosed by professional health care people. About 20% of American children suffer and are diagnosed with a mental illness during a given year. Nearly 5 million American adolescents and children suffer a serious mental illness that can significantly interfere with their daily life.

These illnesses such as eating disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia can happen to children as well as adults. Other behaviors such as elimination disorders, development disorders, communication and learning disorders usually begin in childhood only, but they can also continue in adulthood. It can happen that a child can have more than one disorder at a time.

Some symptoms of mental illness in children are changes in eating or sleeping habits, abuse of alcohol and or drugs, inability to handle daily activities and problems, long lasting negative moods and more.
It’s important to know and get treatment for your child if they show any symptoms of mental illness. Without any type of treatment, many mental disorders in children can continue into adulthood and that could lead to problems in all areas of a person’s adult life.

There are treatments to help children with mental illness that are extremely helpful. Certain medication such as anti-depressants, stimulants, anti-anxiety drugs and mood stabilizers are very helpful. Psychotherapy addresses the emotional responses by talking through strategies for understanding and dealing with their symptoms and behavior. Creative therapies are acting or role playing, a therapy they use if they have problems communicating with the outside world.