Child psychopathology is the manifestation of psychological disorders in childhood and adolescence (Mash & Barkley, 2003). There’s growing attention in South Africa to understand and intervene towards mental health issues affecting children.
The growing attention to children’s mental health problems and competencies arises from a number of factors:
many children in South Africa experience significant mental health problems that interfere with their normal development and functioning.
A significant proportion of children do not grow out of their childhood difficulties, although the ways in which these difficulties are expressed change in both form and severity over time.
Current diverse social changes and conditions may place children at increasing risk for the development of disorders and also for the development of more severe problems at younger ages.
Children who experience mental health problems, most of these problems go unidentified. Only about 20% receive help, a statistic that has not changed for some time (Mash & Barkley, 2003).
Majority of children with mental health problems who go unidentified and unassisted often end up in the criminal justice or mental health system as young adults. They are at greater risk of dropping out of school and of not being fully functional members of society.
Childhood disorders/mental health problems
Children can develop the same mental health conditions as adults, but their symptoms may be different. Know what to watch for and how you can help. Mental illness in children can be hard for parents to identify. As a result, many children who could benefit from treatment don’t get the help they need. Understand how to recognize warning signs of mental illness in children and how you can help your child. It can be difficult to understand mental health disorders in children because normal childhood development is a process that involves change. Additionally, the symptoms of a disorder may differ depending on a child’s age, and children may not be able to explain how they feel or why they are behaving
a certain way.
Warning signs that your child may have a mental health disorder include:
Persistent sadness — two or more weeks
Withdrawing from or avoiding social interactions
Focus your attention elsewhere
Hurting oneself or talking about hurting oneself
Talking about death or suicide
Outbursts or extreme irritability
Out-of-control behaviour that can be harmful
Drastic changes in mood, behaviour or personality
Changes in eating habits
Loss of weight
Difficulty sleeping
Frequent headaches or stomach-aches
Difficulty concentrating
Avoiding or missing school
It is therefore important to understand first the signs and symptoms before we conclude on diagnosing our children, as most parent are more likely to be more frustrated and panic as a result of the term attached to the child’s conditions, hence we are faced with further stigma and rejection from those close to us or society.
