Mental Health among children is not talked about and easily overlooked because society does not normalize it.
The people who have this need are in the early childhood stages (under eight years old). Not everyone shares the need. However, many people I know suffer from mental illness and a lot of issues start from childhood. The boundaries of my needs are understanding the importance of mental health, the acceptance of it, the need for costly effected drugs or therapy and question if people are willing to help the cause. People will not see it in the same way that others may because the question of a child having a mental illness is difficult to understand. However, the opposing argument outstands the opposition. Mental health is being talked about more because of college student dropouts, school shootings and increased suicides.
Interview with Liora Hammer, Pharmacy Tech.
1. In a range, how
many prescriptions do you fill for children under the age of 8?
60-70 per week. Liora feels as if it is overprescribed and that a
form of therapy will help the child be treated more naturally.
2. What are the medications?
ADHD medications: Adderall,
vivance & Focalin Anti-depressants
(low dosage), anti-anxiety, seizer medication for Tourette’s
3. What are the side effects for young children?
Positive- a lot of people says it helps their kids
Negative-
you are on it the rest of your life once you start it. You become very reliant
on it so your body doesn’t know how to function without it. It makes you feel
off and blocks natural chemicals for early childhood development.
4. What type of healthcare is used to buy this medication?
80% of the prescribed mental illness medication for
children under 8 are on state-provided health insurance due to low income. This state-provided health insurance limits kids to
better medication or forms of therapy because the state only provides you with
basic needs. Tons
of kids are on state insurance, which goes to show a lot of families can’t
afford to get therapy for the kids so it's probably why they want to give their
kid an easy fix.
5. Do you feel doctors are trying to help these kids, is
it what the parents want or is it based on the insurance payback?
50/50 a lot of doctors are just doing whatever the
patients parents want. If the kid would do better in therapy, they don’t stand
up for it. They do what the parents want regardless of the medication effects
it has on the child. Also, too many parents have doctors personal cell phone
numbers so I can tell a doctor is annoyed when they put in a medication order
from an angry, persistent parent. There is a lack of honest communication
between parents and doctors.
Interview with Deirdre Rhodes, ASD Para Professional
1. What are the
mental illnesses of the students you teach? Do you know if most are from low
socio-economic families?
Autistic, Some drug babies, some bipolar and some
psychotic children. Not necessarily from low economic families, a lot of the cases are
hereditary. Parents can have ADHD and when they have a child their symptoms
will be worse.
Most of them are on Medicaid.
2. What type of
toys do they play with? What types of exercises as coping methods?
They enjoy a smaller confined area and do better with less
stimulation. Autistic children like games they can touch. They like different
textures. Check out Bouncing, jump and swing, teeter-totters, building and Special
Olympics.
3. Do parents
often push medication onto their child? Do you believe therapy is a better use
of time?
No. They try every other method first unless the child
is out of control.
It depends on the therapy and how much they go and if
it's not overdone. One child goes to therapy 5 times a week for long periods of
times, she doesn’t have time to play and she is becoming brainwashed. However, Sometimes children need therapy to hold a pencil. You will never see two autistic child’s that are the
same.
4. Do you think
children without mental illness look down upon children who do? If so, do you
think it’s because they don’t understand what it is?
Yes, if they are not educated. They could be afraid of
them. They don’t know how to approach them or how to deal with them.
5. If you could magically change one thing about the topic being discussed so that it made your life better, easier, or more
enjoyable what would it be?
I would like to see them get all the services
possible. Their speech, OT, medical care, physical care, all the care that they
need. Doctors don’t take Medicaid anymore, so sometimes they are hopeless. It would be nice to have summer programs or therapeutic camp.
Heather Covalt, Former Baby Sitter
1. How often
have you babysat/nannied? Did any of them have a mental illness?
Over 20 families since I was 12. However, as I got older I kept myself full time to only two families. There was one family that had a mental illness
for sure. He required counseling and special assistance from someone other than a
primary care system. I was the go-to nanny for a difficult child.
2. How did the
parents react to mental illness?
The parent was resistant to input from me or physicians if
there was an issue with their child. They would try any other possible method
to help their child but not be quick to addressing mental illness.
3. How do you
think a child would take to understanding mental health?
I'm not entirely sure because kids have triggers and every child is different. There needs to be a collaboration with parents.
4. What is the parental involvement for children with
mental illnesses? What are some stories?
It’s hard because parents work and there are a lot of
single parents. There are a lot more resources now than there ever were before,
not saying there is enough, but parents can exhaust all sources. Most of the
parents I interacted with, they were in denial and hesitant. If they were open
to their child having a developmental curve, they could attack it sooner and it
could have been much better for the child.
Even educators could not do all they wanted to do. Teachers
always want more time to spend on the child so they can do their job but they
can’t because of the parent or education system.
Children also know when they are being talked about.
They know when something is off with them.
I will always remember babysitting for one kid. The
child is three and his brother is 1 ½ and the three-year-old shoved his brother
off the steps. I tried explaining why that’s a bad idea and the kid did not
care at all. He said he wanted to see him cry and fall. Maybe, he did it to see a reaction but he couldn’t
fully explain it back to me.
When I tried explaining to the mother, she called the
child exuberant.
There was another instance where the parents got him a
bow and arrow and the child started shooting at his brothers and sisters. When
I took the bow and arrow away and threw them out the child started kicking me
and screaming very loudly. Still, nothing happened.
Some other families have a history of mental illness.
Parents would try to stay aware of certain signs so they can tackle the problem
early on. They were much better of being aware of those signs and they were
proactive in treating any possible mental illness.
5. If you could magically change one thing about the topic being discussed so that it made your life better, easier, or more
enjoyable what would it be?!
People need to be educated so that people, friends, family and the child
understands. Develop a proper support system. Whether it’s a child or parents
that withdraws, education would help. Education for all people. Starting young
because we don’t address it until high school. This should not be a bad thing.
Education and acceptance are a big deal.
Dominic Coleman, College Student
1. Did you have an education on mental illness?
I did not have an education on mental illness until I saw a therapist. I never wanted to talk about how I was feeling. Being a guy, sometimes your friends aren't understanding. You are thought to be tough. However, I was struggling. When I was three years old, my mom left me. I don't think much about it but after therapy, I realized it has had a big effect on me.
2. Do you think mental health should be talked about among children?
I am not entirely sure how you could convey the message to a child. I did not understand it much then. However, if you find a way, it probably would have been helpful to me.
3. How would you talk to a child about mental illness? How would you want to make a child feel better about their mental illness?
Like I said before, I don't know how that could be conveyed to a child. If I think about my personal situation, I am grateful to have my dad. He was already remarried when he regained custody of me and now the only mom I think of is my stepmom. I have 4 younger brothers and one younger sister. I am happy to have my family.
4. Do you wish you could have got help sooner?
Yes, but I wouldn't go until I got to my lowest point. If I knew about mental health and I felt comfortable talking about it before, I might not be feeling how I do. I am happy that I am finally getting the help I need.
Rahmann Brown, College Student
1. Did you have an education on Mental Health?
I was always aware of different mental health issues. I knew that it ran in my family but I never thought it would happen to me.
2. How have you been dealing with your mental health?
Since dropping out of school, I have been focusing on myself. I don't put too much on my plate and I make an effort to do activities that make me happy. I also was into a number of drugs in college. Now, I watch the social drinking and drugs that I do and make sure I don't go overboard.
3. Do you think talking to children about mental health is a good idea?
Yeah. I would put it in ways that they can understand. I would play with them and talk to kids more. I would raise awareness so hopefully, they can always have it in the back of their mind.
4. Do you wish you could have got help sooner?
Sometimes. But, I believe everything happens for a reason. Right now, I'm just chilling. I don't mind the path I am on.
Summary
I still stand with my original plan. Mental health should be talked about more among children. There is too much evidence that supports the idea that people don't take it seriously. How can people control what goes on in their minds? Especially, since their minds are not in the right place? Our livelihood depends on functioning as human-beings and using our minds to do so. Through my interviews, I learned a lot about medications for children with mental illnesses. I did not realize how medications could be a negative effect on children. It makes a lot of sense since it is a drug. I also was shocked to find out about parents reactions and involvement in their child's mental health. Parent's might want what's best for their children but some parents need to get over their ego.
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