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In this complex and changing society it is recommended that parents become aware of the need to safeguard the mental health of children. Mental health, of course, is not just the home environment, but when the family atmosphere is healthy and the relations established within it love, children are likely to develop properly.

The concept of psychological disorder does not admit a single definition. To this must be added that in the continuum normal-pathology is not always easy to pinpoint where health breaks. Often the presence of a cluster of symptoms that create discomfort or interfere with children’s activity can speak of mental disorder. The anomaly occurs in cognitive, emotional, behavioral, social and relational or alters a child’s life considerably.

Mental disorder itself involves a loss of mental balance which limits the possibilities for personal fulfillment. Not to be confused with juvenile psychopathology, very common during the growing stage, as the Onychophagia (nail biting), opposition, lies tiny, poor hygiene, night terrors, etc.., Which may express mild immaturity, anxiety before certain situations or improper acquisition of a habit.

The higher infant-adolescent psychopathology may vary by age and gender, but generally affects aspects such as learning, development, behavior, nutrition, sleep, communication, etc.. The range is so wide that when parents have doubts, what is most appropriate to consult a specialist. Beyond the psychological or medical treatment is essential to involve the family.

Causes of disorders

The study of the causes of mental disorders usually reveals a combination of physical, psychological and social. Sometimes the causes predominantly biological (genetic abnormalities, brain dysfunction, etc.). Sometimes, however, the key is to be found in traumatic childhood experiences relating to assault, neglect, rejection, etc.., Whose negative impact depends partly on the strength of the personality of the child. The mental weakness in the early developmental stages can prevent assimilation of the conflict, which in turn increases the vulnerability and hampers development.

A third group of leading causes of psychopathology can be traced to social experiences. This applies, for example, family situations chaired by excessive rigidity, poor communication, lack of affection, overprotection, and so on. Nor can it ignore the sociocultural environment in the assessment of risks posed to children and adolescents. An environment characterized by corruption, repression, manipulation of mass media, economic poverty, pollution and alienation from nature, the abuse of technology, etc.., Is fertile ground for mental illness.

Clearly, the intervention of social factors is not readily separable from the psychological causes and biological aspects.The weighting of the different dimensions, to the extent possible, would probably require a detailed study of each case.

Family Changes

The family in Western countries are experiencing major changes known to all. Which is to say that the family is not exclusively a traditional system consisting of the father, mother and children born within marriage. The consequences of the conditions under which the family is vary, but it certainly increases as the break in the household, its members will be exposed to a greater number of psychological problems.

The model of family relations chaired by poor communication, the structural weakness or stiffness is one of the real causes of psychopathology in children and adolescents. Parents are now absorbed by the hustle and work the remaining time to devote to their children. Creature comforts at home are not always accompanied by interpersonal quality. A familiar landscape filled with electronic equipment leaves no room for the emotional meeting. In this context of increasing depersonalization find at least the following sources familiar mental disturbance:

The parental permissiveness established as a reaction to the authoritarianism of the past has proved to be equally harmful to the social and emotional development of children. The structure corresponds to permissive family communities in which parents do not take their responsibilities or establish any kind of rules, which leads children to a dangerous confusion. Consider, for example, alcoholism and other drug dependencies.

We must also take into account the isolation and individualism emphasized by some technologies (television, internet …) that are often used inappropriately or abused. In these circumstances, it is no wonder that in the younger segments of the population have increased electronic addictions.

Family disintegration caused by separation or divorce. The consequences of cases vary considerably, but the conflicts and tensions at home can have negative effects on children and may push them toward violence, marginalization, and so on.

The stress family situations of distress generated by economic requirements, etc.., harms mental health. In fact, children who come from disadvantaged social groups are more likely to experience psychosomatic illnesses: asthma, headaches, intestinal disorders, etc..

Life events (death of a loved one, sexual abuse, leaving home for a parent, serious illness, addiction of a family member, etc..) also have negative impact on the mental health of children and adolescents.

Mental disorder itself involves a loss of mental balance which limits the possibilities for personal fulfillment. Not to be confused with juvenile psychopathology, very common during the growing stage, which may express mild immaturity, anxiety before certain situations or improper acquisition of a habit.

The higher infant-adolescent psychopathology may vary by age and gender, but generally affects aspects such as learning, development, behavior, nutrition, sleep, communication, etc. The range is so wide that when parents have doubts, what is most appropriate is to consult a specialist. Beyond the psychological or medical treatment, it is essential to involve the family.

Family life requires permanent care, touch, affection, understanding, values, attention to the seemingly trivial, sufficient stimulation and sensitivity to the uniqueness of each child. A family atmosphere of these features lights and gives the child the healthiest personal resources for the adventure of life.

There are thousands of people who suffer many forms of panic disorder who live in total isolation and fear with no one to understand or relate to the misery they are going through. Here is an individual who has been through the frightening experience and come out the other side, free of panic disorder and wishes to relate her story to help others to break free from the panic and anxiety symptoms they are suffering in their lives.

“I felt like I was standing in the middle of a freeway with cars attacking me from either side”. That’s how 27 year old Susan felt whenever she was about to suffer panic attack symptoms while trying to leave her home. Susan suffered from one of the most common of all disorder phobias, agoraphobia. Anxiety brought on by not having a connection with a safe person or place.

Just the thought of leaving her home would bring on a panic attack. “One moment you feel fine, the next moment you feel as though you are going to die,” she says. “Physically my heart would start pounding, I would get a sickening feeling in my stomach and a sensation that I was about to faint.”

For Susan these were the symptoms of a full blown phobia. She now can go out of the house because she overcame her phobia. Now she’s out visiting people, trying to help those still stuck inside.

“You need to recognize the panic attack symptoms,” says Susan “If a panic attack comes on, be aware of what it is. You’ve had them before, so you know you are not going to die although, you think you are at the time. Recognition is the key.”

Panic attacks are unexpected occurrences of acute fear that develops without any obvious explanation or origin causing certain reactions. It frequently boils down to fear of losing control and the humiliation of what would happen

“Panic attack sufferers are usually hard on them-selves, but you shouldn’t be, you can overcome your panic disorder” says Susan. “You need to understand your symptoms and causes and how to overcome them.”

The last thing a parent wants is to consider the possibility that their child may have some type of mental illness or brain disorder. Yet, it’s important that parents not ignore symptoms of schizophrenia in children if they see them. While most people are diagnosed in their mid-to-late-twenties, there are still cases of children as young as seven exhibiting the signs of schizophrenia. It’s child’s play to have an imaginary friend, but it’s a red flag if a child hears voices saying nasty things about him/her or remarks that there are voices conversing in his/her head. Kids who have no interest in friendships, who talk to themselves frequently or stares at things that are not really there may have schizophrenia.

The signs of schizophrenia are seldom seen in youngsters, yet statistics reveal that 1 in 40,000 kids are identified as having this disorder. Comparatively, 1 in 100 adults aged 18-35 are identified as having some type of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia in youngsters has some similar characteristics to autism and developmental disabilities. Exclusive to schizophrenia, however, are the hallucinations and delusions that typify the disease. Many kids also display subdued emotions, dislike of social situations, poor personal hygiene and elevated sensitivity.

If a child is seeing or hearing things that don’t exist, then he or she may be exhibiting early symptoms of schizophrenia. Children may exhibit gradual changes, such as becoming shyer or withdrawn or they may have an acute onset marked by fearful delusions that people can read their minds or are plotting against them. Affected children will often laugh at sad events, show little body language and have muted facial expressions. Other symptoms of mental illness include speech impairment, poor memory, difficulty paying attention and hallucinations.

Far too often, children are misdiagnosed with schizophrenia. Delusions and hallucinations are signs that distinguish it from something such as autism. These will not be one-time events, but will continue for a minimum of six months. Generally a child starts to reveal symptoms at age 7, while an autistic child is more normally diagnosed by age 3. Sometimes the frenzied fits of severe schizophrenia are mistaken for a bipolar, dissociative or personality disorder. Most children with this condition show no interest in friendship.

Currently, the outlook is not very bright for children showing symptoms of schizophrenia. Many of the antipsychotic medications on the market do not have documentation of clinical trials tested on children. Studies show that anywhere from 15 – 45% of young patients show little to no response to traditional medications, like haloperidol, loxapine, thioridazine or thiothixene. A new generation of antipsychotic drugs, like clozapine, risperidone and olanzapine show some promise, but more studies need to be conducted to determine long-term risks of taking such drugs. Short-term side effects include weight gain and sedation, but the risk of decreased white blood cell count, seizures and heart disease are yet to be measured with certainty.