Child Development & Mental Health

Mental health is so big, in fact; there is mental health in every family, some diagnosed and treated, and many undiagnosed and/or left untreated. Depression and anxiety is big in my family, like; 1 out of every 5 family members has either or, luckily they are all being treated. But what effects can mental health disorders have on the development of a child that is healthy but surrounded by it. I have heard of many stories where the child survived, got through it and is doing well, but I have also heard of stories where the cycle just continues.

My sister’s depression was so bad that it was affecting her children, her family altogether. I finally got upset one day and told her the truth, yes, it hurt her feelings and she got really angry at me but today she is a very happy women and her relationship with her children is 110% better. Sometimes we sit around and talk about it (self-therapy) and we laugh and cry but in the end we thank God for the turnaround because her children were heading down the same path.

I have a child that suffers from anxiety and I can tell you it’s not easy. My son has been in treatment since the moment he was diagnosed but because he is still young he has no self-control yet. In the meantime; with therapy, medication, and his family, his biggest support system he manages, we manage.

According to NCBI; Africa is a large continent, prone to strife, especially south of the Sahara. Most of its countries are characterized by low incomes, high prevalence of communicable diseases and malnutrition, low life expectancy and poorly staffed services. Mental health issues often come last on the list of priorities for policy makers. Where mortality is still mostly the result of infectious diseases and malnutrition, the morbidity and disablement due to mental illness receive very little attention from the government. Health in general is still a poorly funded area of social services in most African countries and, compared to other areas of health, mental health services are poorly developed. Indeed, most African countries have no mental health policies, programs or action plans in place.

Reading this is sad, here in the United States we have policies, programs, and many people to help. There is just no excuse for mental health to go untreated. Let’s take advantage of what’s available to us, let’s help our neighbors, our children. If you know of someone suffering from a mental illness, please do not walk away, instead hold their hand and walk them towards help.

References:
NCBI. (2012). Mental health in Africa: the role of the WPA
Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1489826/