From the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
The mental health of our children is a natural and important concern for us all. The fact is, many mental disorders have their beginnings in childhood or adolescence, yet may go undiagnosed and untreated for years. (1)
We refer to mental disorders using different “umbrella” terms such as emotional disturbance, behavioral disorders, or mental illness. Beneath these umbrella terms, there is actually a wide range of specific conditions that differ from one another in their characteristics and treatment. These include (but are not limited to):
- anxiety disorders;
- bipolar disorder (sometimes called manic-depression);
- conduct disorders;
- eating disorders;
- obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD); and
- psychotic disorders.
By Kit Johnson from the Special Education Advisor
If it wasn’t bad enough being a teenager, it’s a real bummer if you are developing symptoms of Bipolar. As parents, if we’re honest, we want a bit of rebellion in our children. It’s healthy for them to be reprobates – within reason of course – and getting their elbows out, and testing the life’s realities before they are set loose.
As a male, I went through the normal pattern of trying for the world’ bashing the bishop’ record, but whilst most boys work through the irrational feelings of guilt, the one with Bipolar suffers in ways his parents’ cannot begin to understand. If it’s the Dysthymic phase, the characteristics will be lack of self esteem, poor concentration, a degree of self loathing and depression and a general overwhelming lethargy. Sounds familiar doesn’t it!