Child Mental Health Treatment

According to the National Institute of Mental Health fifty percent of mental illness cases begin by the age of 14. Not every case of behavioral changes requires mental health treatment. For instance, there are everyday life stressors that can contribute to a child's behavior.

Significance

• According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, one in ten children suffer from a mental disorder that is severe enough to impair their normal development and functioning in the United States. In these cases, children and parents must consider mental health treatment.

Diagnosis

• To get properly diagnosed with a mental health problem, the child should first see a doctor or mental health specialist. The physician will observe symptoms and signs and make a diagnosis.

Treatment

• One common treatment used to help a child with mental illness is psychosocial therapy, which is also called "talked therapy." During this type of therapy, children learn about their condition and explore their mood, feeling, and thoughts. Psychosocial therapy can be completed in a few months if the mental illness is not severe. A second treatment option is called cognitive behavioral therapy. This treatment focuses on changing thinking patterns and can be done either in an individual or group setting. In some cases, psychotropic medications are used.

Risks

• Psychotropic medications carry many side effects and risks. Medication may be prescribed only when the benefits of the medication outweigh the risks. Psychotropic medications include mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety medications. The side effects experienced from a psychotropic medication are contingent on the type of psychotropic medication prescribed. For example, a child on atypical antipsychotics may experience weight gain and metabolic issues. The medications can also be dangerous if they are inappropriately combined with other medicines. According to the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey, one benefit of psychotropic medications is that it increases a child's amenability to other therapies.

Prognosis

• According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the available treatments for mental illness are highly effective. The organization states that between 70 and 90 percent of people with a mental illness have an improved quality of life and reduction in symptoms when receiving treatment and support.