Children Get Mental Illness Too!
Add comment January 23rd, 2009
Mikey’s Story
Mikey was brought to the emergency room following a temper tantrum that lasted 3 hours in which he screamed and beat his head on the wall until his mother had to restrain him.
Mikey is very active and having trouble in preschool and at home. He runs everywhere and even when made to stop and walk can hardly do it, running again 10 seconds later. He squirms and plays while eating at the table often being the last one done. He constantly makes noises with his mouth and instigates his 3-year-old sister by hitting her or telling her something that he knows will get a reaction. He does not appear to listen and often needs even short directions repeated numerous times before he can repeat them back. Even then he forgets again before he completes them. .
Mikey is also very moody being happy and friendly one minute and switching to anger and aggression with very little provocation. He has a difficult time complying with adult requests and becomes oppositional and disrespectful, yelling hurtful things like “I hate you, I’m going to kill you, I’m going to beat you down.” When this happens he is given a time out in the corner to calm down but often just escalates further pounding his head on the wall and saying, “I hate my daddy. I hate my mommy. I hate my sister. I hate my grandpa. I hate my grandma” and so on. When he beats his head hard, his mother or her boyfriend restrain him in a basket hold until he can calm down.
He often tries to hit and kick the adult working with him. He spits at them as well.
These behaviors have been present since he was about 2 years old but have gotten worse as he has gotten older. They are wearing on his mother and her boyfriend who feel like all they do when at home is try to manage Mikey. Due to his behaviors they have difficulty finding someone who will watch him to give them a break. They fear the three year old is being neglected and are also concerned because she is starting to copy Mikey’s behaviors.
At other times he is a polite and pleasant young boy that is charming and sociable, quick to comply and cooperate.
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Studies show that at least one in five children and adolescents have a diagnosable mental illness (www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov). A mental illness is a disorder in thought, mood or behavior that is abnormal for the developmental stage of the person and causes distress in her life and those around her. The widely accepted guide to diagnosing mental illness is the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (version IV-TR) which is published by the American Psychiatric Association.
Unfortunately, there is still a lot of stigma and judgment surrounding mental illness. When it comes to children with social / emotional problems there is still a tendency to blame the parents. (In all of my years of practice, I have not found blaming the parents to be very helpful.)
In future columns, we will look at the causes of mental illness; signs and symptoms of mental illness in children and adolescents; and various treatments available. We will then look at some of the most common forms of mental illness found in young people
