Mental Illnesses in Young Children



Mental Illnesses in Young Children

Some argue that Mental illness is a socially constructed phenomenon, whilst others question the mere existence of Mental illness, some arguing that it is merely a consequence on social inequalities. One can already begin to understand the problematic nature of Mental illness. What causes more confusion is that 'Mental illness' is an umbrella term, covering wide variety of disorders which are very different; they have different symptoms and effects. Considering there is no known definitive underlying cause of Mental illness meaning the area is still not fully understood, it does not have the same standing as physical illness, coupled with the fact that it is not clearly visible to others means that it can be a great deal harder to deal with, by both the sufferer and their families.

Research in the area of potential risk to children, requires clearer definitions between the different types of mental illnesses; parents affected by Schizophrenia, personality disorder or depression will each have different symptomatic outcomes, which means the experiences of their children will be different.

According to Cleaver et al (1999) a “significant proportion” of children in the child protection system, come from families with domestic violence; drug or alcohol dependence or parental mental illness. Their research shows, in isolation problem drug or alcohol use or mental illness present little risk of significant harm to children. Becker and Macpherson (1988) found that common social characteristics found in 'abusive' families, other than parental mental illness, included low income; poverty and social exclusion. Other studies have also shown the link between mental illness and perpetuating factors; Meltzer et al (1995) found that unemployed people are twice as likely as those in full-time employment to suffer neurotic symptoms. They also found that mental illness was strongly linked with ...