Treating Mental Health Conditions in Children and Adolescents
There are many reasons why treating a child or adolescent for a mental, emotional or behavioral disorder is different than treating an adult. Most people are aware that a child is not a little adult. This is often obvious in the size of the person. But even when a child is as large as an adult, there are differences within their brain. A child’s brain is going through developmental changes at an accelerated rate compared to the adult brain. The child’s brain is growing quite quickly and continues to mature and develop until the mid-20's, when the prefrontal lobe finally finishes its growth. Because of the fast-changing brain within a child and adolescent, they need a specialist that understands those fast-paced changes.
The development of children’s brains results in critical periods, which are short periods of time during which a person is especially receptive to the learning, emotional or socializing experiences that build the foundation in their development. Therefore, the early stages in life are particularly important for the development of a person’s personality and stress response. Because a child’s brain is especially malleable and impressionable and is changing quickly, professionals need to consider how a condition may present in a child’s undeveloped mind.
Another major difference between treating adults and children is that the child or adolescent is usually embedded in a family that is caring for them because they are not developmentally able to care for themselves. When a professional is treating a child or adolescent they are treating the whole system that cares for that individual. There must be a great deal of involvement with the family and support system in treating a child or adolescent. This often includes academic staff, family and therapy staff.
This family involvement is especially important for a number of reasons. First, it is often the impact of the family, and other close supports, that will influence the manifestation of a genetic predisposition. In other words, if a child has a genetic potential for an illness, like depression or schizophrenia, it is the negative or positive influence of the early environment that determines if and how that genetic potential may show up. If the family is healthy and has positive coping tools the genetic predisposition may never result in symptoms. If the early life is filled with dysfunctional family influences and traumatic events, which are often called Adverse Childhood Events, or ACES, it significantly increases the likelihood of all illnesses, both mental and physical, both in childhood and throughout adulthood.
This is a basic truth of childhood; it lays the foundation for the rest of life. A childhood filled with ACES lays a foundation of physical, mental, emotional and behavioral problems for all of life. This is one reason why intervention early is so important. Effective intervention addresses biological and environmental influences to have a positive impact on the child or adolescent in the present, but also to lay the best possible chance for the future adulthood of that person.
Because of these differences, there are facilities and professionals that are specially trained to treat children and adolescents. This is true of psychiatrists, social workers and therapists. Any facility that specializes in children or adolescents must be run by those who are trained to do so. This is especially true for the medical director. Inpatient, outpatient or partial hospitalization programs for children and adolescents require a medical director who is trained and licensed to treat children and adolescents.
Parents should talk to their primary care doctors or pediatrician about the potential of psychiatric care for their children early on, at the first indication of need. They should talk openly about concerns with their children with age appropriate language. Outpatient therapist can be a very important tool in addresses emotional and behavioral concerns. Families should also be working with school staff and taking seriously any concerns that they bring up. If symptoms are addressed early and proactively in the outpatient settings, families can often avoid the crisis which would require inpatient treatment.
For those who need more intense treatment for mental health conditions, MyMichigan Health provides an intensive outpatient program called Psychiatric Partial Hospitalization Program at MyMichigan Medical Center Gratiot. Those interested in more information about the PHP program may call (989) 466-3253. Those interested in more information on MyMichigan’s comprehensive behavioral health programs may visit http://www.mymichigan.org/mentalhealth.
