Mental & Emotional Health

The U.S. Supreme Court banned the death penalty for juveniles under 18 in 2005.

I agree with that decision but the conclusions drawn regarding past abuse, mental illness and addiction problems are things that will probably remain constant so will still apply when they’re adults.

Past abuse

Most of the convicted had suffered from some form of psychological, sexual and/or extreme physical abuse in their families. Past family abuse is a well known risk factor for future violent behavior so this doesn’t seem like a surprising find.

Mental Illness

A study of 18 convicted males was “to clarify the ways in which immaturity of their central nervous systems, traumas to their brains, predispositions to psychiatric illness, and chaotic, violent and abusive upbringings may have diminished their judgment and self-control.” (Lewis and colleagues study, 2004)

Signs and symptoms were present in 83% of the condemned, indicating either bi-polar disorder or schizoaffective disorder. I’m not sure how they came up with those labels. It seems many juveniles don’t have fully developed consciences so could be accused of being anti-social as well.

Yet another study confirmed that most psychosocial maturity is incomplete up until the age of 19. This could explain the bi-polar and/or schizo affective disorder suggestion since impulse control is lacking in both. Being mentally ill alone does not necessarily make a person more likely to be violent but an abusive violent family home does.

Addictions

Addictions were also mentioned as a contributing factor but how many youths suffered from a drug addiction wasn’t mentioned. This wouldn’t help anyone’s judgment though regardless of age.

• The only thing that will change is they will probably mature so their impulse control may improve. If juveniles are mentally ill and their frontal lobe is affected, growing older does not guarantee better impulse controls either. Medication may help but that’s only if they’re properly diagnosed and treated once released.

See When is it ‘Cruel and Unusual Punishment’? Supreme Court Bans Juvenile Death Penalty, Arline Kaplin, 2005 for more.

Some children are more prone to angry outbursts than others are especially if they happen to have certain conditions or disorders. A couple that comes to mind is ADHD and Oppositional Defiance Disorder.

Understanding that they may need help in dealing with their anger and excusing it are two different things.

If your child is clocked on the head by another child and the parent says, “Oh, he has an oppositional defiance disorder”, that hardly excuses it.

I witnessed something like this happen and it made me angry because there were no consequences given. These children still need to learn from their actions as everyone else does with discipline and consequences.

Seeking professional help is advisable in some circumstances as there are some things that we as parents cannot treat or resolve on our own.

Helping Children Deal With Anger

The biggest way we teach children how to deal with anger is by example or through our actions. Talking is important as well but if the words and actions don’t match, it doesn’t mean much.

• Ways we teach children by example are by having them witness how we react to stresses that normally cause anger. Do we jump up and down, scream and curse or take a deep breath and leave the room?

• Try to teach empathy. I’m aware that this is easier with some children than others because I have a few of them. Talking about their feelings is good but exploring with them how another might feel in the same situation is even better. It’s possible to do this without guilt trips although I don’t claim to have perfected this.

• Make sure that they know that their feelings of anger are ok. It’s the actions that are not acceptable.

• Teach problem-solving skills. Again, one of the best ways to do this is through your actions but talking out ideas and role-playing are also useful.

Once your child has had an angry outburst or temper tantrum, there are various ways to deal with it. Sometimes the method you choose depends on their age.

• Removing your child from the room is usually the most effective IMO, but it’s also important to explain why you’re doing it. Sometimes you may have to actually pick them up and carry them to do this. This way they have time alone to calm down and are not as apt to act out without an audience.

If you have children, what ways do you deal with your their angry outbursts? If you have any more ideas feel free to share.

Reading through one of the latest issues of NeuroPsychiatry Review (November 2007, Volume 8, Number 11) I stumbled across a little bit of “News Roundup” about the exposure to mercury though thimerosol-containing vaccines.

There has been quite the controversy about vaccinations due to exposure to mercury, thimerosol. Parents nationwide are concerned about what toys they’re buying their children and what they’re putting into their children’s bodies. There has been a controversy about the connection between autism and mercury exposure, but this review journal says that there is “no casual association.”

The New England Journal of Medicine (September 27 edition) looked at over one thousand children’s neuropsyhological performance between ages seven to ten. Given 42 assessable outcomes, the associations they found were “small and almost equally divided between positive and negative effects.” In fact, the article writes that higher prenatal mercury exposure showing an improvement in language performance. However, there is also the other side showing that exposure in the first four weeks of life (from conception to day 28) results in a lower speech articulation test BUT an improved motor function control.

So, we know that a high amount of mercury exposure is detrimental to humans, but this study is also showing that there might be slight positive benefits to a bit of mercury exposure. Generally though, the Food and Drug Administration recommends that women thinking about becoming pregnant, are currently pregnant or nursing or feeding a young child should avoid swordfish, shark, tile fish, king mackerel & tuna due to high levels of mercury.

Earlier today I posted some basics on Pica disorder that you should check out. Now I’m going to look at why researchers believe that people develop pica disorder.

When looking at why people develop pica disorder, there are quite a few different things that researchers keep in mind.

There may be:
> nutritional deficiencies - you may be lacking zinc or iron. This lack may trigger a specific craving, but even when you’re eating those non-food items, you’re not feeding your body the nutrients that you need. (If you need zinc, eat oysters, red meat, poultry, beans, nuts, whole grains, fortified breakfast cereals and some dairy products. If you need iron, look for clams, pork/chicken or beef liver, oysters or mussels.)

> severe dieting - by eating non-food substances, you may be easing your hunger with this feeling of fullness. However, these non-food substances could doing more harm than good!

> malnutrition - those in underdeveloped countries have been known to commonly eat soil & clay in order to feel full

> parental neglect - children who don’t have parental (or other adult supervision/attention) may develop pica to feed themselves, or to attract attention to themselves; this is most often seen in children living in low socioeconomic statuses

> developmental problems - mental retardation, autism, brain abnormalities and other developmental disabilities may lead children (and adults) to eat non-food substances

> mental health conditions - such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (the girl who ate her hair was later diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder) or schizophrenia (there have been reported cases where voices tell people to eat non-food items)

> pregnancy - the most commonly eaten non-food item during pregnancy is ice chips, and women who exhibit pica disorder symptoms while pregnant may have had symptoms beforehand

So, pica disorder is something to watch for and be aware of, as you might end up in the hospital having 15 inches of hair removed from your stomach! If you have cravings for non-food items, please contact your physician and let them know. Let them know that you have been reading about pica disorder and are interested in talking with them more about it!

mental and emotional health, pica, pica disorder, why pica

I was recently amazed by an article written about a girl who eats her own hair. There is a picture of the hairball in another news story, and I was FLOORED to see how large it had gotten. This prompted a little bit of research on my part, and I was pretty fascinated to read about Pica. The picture is not for those with a weak stomach. I just can’t get over it’s size! Intensity in your stomach!

Pica (also called pica disorder) is when a person has an appetite for “non-nutritive” substances (dirt, clay, paint chips, plaster, chalk, coffee grounds, ice, glue, hair, buttons, paper and even soap) or an appetite for food substances (baking soda, starch, raw potatoes, flour). If these food item cravings persist for more than one month, it may be time to be checked out. This can be dangerous for small children, as we all know, paint chips are not normal foods!

The name “pica” comes from the Latin word for magpie (as they will eat everything) and is most commonly seen in pregnant women and small children - especially those who are developmentally disabled.

Do you worry that your children (or pregnant wife) may have pica disorder? Watch for:
> repetitive consumption of nonfood items (for over a month)
> a situation where this behavior is inappropriate for your child’s developmental stage (every child puts non-food substances in their mouth, but it becomes a problem when the child is over two years old)
> a situation where the behavior is not part of a religious, cultural or ethnic practice

In a few hours, watch for another post on why researchers believe that certain people develop Pica disorder!

mental and emotional health, pica, pica disorder, childhood eating disorders

ADHD Kids’ Brains Mature More Slowly
To summarize this article, researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute (McGill University, Canada), with funding from the Intramural Research Program at the National Institute of Health have found that parts of ADHD diagnosed children “develop slower” than those of other children. The part of the brain that controls inappropriate actions and thoughts, the attention focusing ability, the moment-to-moment activity memory, the work-for-reward and the movement control areas of the brain may be lagging behind in development by as much as three years. (So now, when you your mother in an exasperated telephone call that you can’t get your seven-year-old to act her age, there may be a biological component as to why.)

(more…)

Over at Kerrie’s blog yesterday I was fascinated by an article linking depression, women, migraines and childhood abuse. Instead of writing a half-formed in-awe post about it, I’m linking you to HER blog since she does an amazing job re-formatting and emphasizing pivotal points within the article. This is prompting me to do more research on the subject as I find the connection and the idea of “serotonin dysfunction” absolutely fascinating.

So yeah, go read the blog! (And leave Kerrie a comment, I’m sure she loves ‘em like I do!)

Oh, and I drew a name last night! The winner of the contest will be featured (with his/her permission) tomorrow!!

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I read a nice article earlier today on 10 Golden Rules for Praising Children and thought that I would share it. You can absolutely apply these to your own life with both children AND adults!

Praise and encouragement is as important to children as three square meals a day. Feeling loved and appreciated feeds their confidence, while friendly, loving advice helps them grow up strong, happy and secure. But childcare experts believe that not all praise works to boost children’s confidence. In fact, it could do the exact opposite, says parenting writer Elizabeth Hartley-Brewer, author of ‘Raising and Praising Boys’ and ‘Raising and Praising Girls’ (Vermilion, £6.99).

Here’s her advice for accentuating the positive:

1. Avoid the adoration trap. Resist the temptation to gush and put children on a pedestal. Boys, in particular, hate it. Praise what they’ve done, not who they are: kids won’t build up strength and inner reserves if they feel they have to ‘earn’ your love all the time. Ways to say it: ‘That was a terrific goal you managed to score against a tough opposition. You pulled out all the stops for that one…’ works better than ‘You are terrific on the football pitch. I love you so much.’ I’m a bit confused by the “football pitch” line; do you really pitch in football?

Antidepressants to Get U.S. Warning on Suicide Risks - The Food and Drug Administration asked the makers of 36 antidepressants to extend an existing precaution for children and adolescents to cover people ages 18 to 24 when they first use the drugs, the agency said in a statement today. Wyeth, Eli Lilly & Co. and other drugmakers must revise their labels within 30 days.

Analysis: Gulf War vets’ brains shrink - “We found that two regions of the brain had significant shrinking compared with other soldiers who have lower levels of symptoms,” Roberta White, chairman of environmental health at the Boston University School of Public Health, said at the 59th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Boston.

Alzheimer’s reversed in mice - In a new study, mice bioengineered to mimic the fading memory of Alzheimer’s patients got their memories restored - either by being placed in stimulating environments or by receiving a drug most commonly used to fight cancer.

Bipolar disorder harder to diagnose in children - In the new study, researchers found that adults whose first bipolar symptoms arose in childhood typically waited years for a diagnosis — and far longer than those whose symptoms began in late adolescence or early adulthood.

Hormones may ward off dementia in women - New research suggests that hormone therapy taken soon after menopause may help protect against dementia, even though it raises the risk of mental decline in women who do not take the drugs until they are older.

Perfectionists more stressed by social pressure - In a study of 50 middle-aged men, those who measured highest on tests of perfectionism also secreted more of the stress hormone cortisol while undergoing a stressful public speaking task, Dr. Petra H. Wirtz of the University of Zurich in Switzerland and colleagues found.

Migraines can boost teen suicide risk - They said young teens with migraines, a debilitating kind of headache, are also at higher risk for other psychiatric disorders, such as depression and panic disorder.*

Migraines may be tied to brain damage - People with migraines also may be suffering from some brain damage as brain cells swell and become starved of oxygen — a finding that may help explain why migraine sufferers have a higher risk of stroke, researchers reported on Sunday.**

*I connected with this news story personally as I’ve lived all my life with migraines and ended up with depression and a panic disorder as well. Interesting.

**Does this mean I can use the handicapped parking places? I may be brain damaged! I shouldn’t jokoe about stuff like this though. Shame on me!

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Yesterday I cried. I cried hard. I cried out of joy, excitement and nervousness.

I got my official letter of acceptance from Southern University of New York at Albany. I cried because it scares me. I cried because it’s exciting. I cried because I might have to move to New York!

I spent yesterday afternoon on the phone with Portland State and Oregon State making sure they had all my papers; they didn’t. I immediately emailed Oregon State the appropriate documents and then this morning I walked the stuff Portland State lost up to their admissions office and got proof that I turned it in. I will call them next Tuesday to see where they are on the “expedited” application status (since they lost the papers they are bumping me up to take care of things). Hopefully I get in to one of my Oregon schools and can stick around. If not, I’ll be near my LoriBaby and she and I will cause trouble.

MrE and I had a nice talk last night about “us” and sorted some things out. Neither of us are ready to “get serious” and so we’re going to just take things one day at a time and let things go. I’m absolutely okay with that and it makes me want to see him even more this evening.

This evening I am meeting with a possible new nannying family. I have been talking to the Mom (MrsCee) for about a week now and am looking forward to meeting her and getting to know her (and the two boys, MrTee and MrArr … and their dad, who is another MrE, but we’ll have to figure out if he needs a new name when that time comes) and seeing what their life is like. I hope I fit in there and can feel some security with giving my two-week notice at work.

I am a happy woman today. Happy happy woman.

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Getting Dirty May Help Your Mood - Treatment of mice with a ‘friendly’ bacteria, normally found in the soil, altered their behavior in a way similar to that produced by antidepressant drugs, reports research published in the latest issue of Neuroscience.

Obesity Struggle May Begin in the Womb - Mothers-to-be who gained weight within medical guidelines were about four times more likely to have children who were overweight at age 3 than those who remained slimmer while expecting, according to the Harvard University research.

Insurer to pay boy’s breast surgery - A health insurer must pay for the breast-reduction surgery of a Long Island teen who was burdened with unusually large breasts for a boy, a state appeals court has ruled.

$500M Pledged to Fight Childhood Obesity - To halt a trend building over the past four decades, the foundation is offering to fund programs that focus on improving access to affordable healthy foods or on how to increase physical activity in schools and communities.

Overweight People More Likely to Develop Asthma - The chance of developing asthma is 50 per cent higher for overweight and obese people, compared with individuals whose weight is normal, analysis of seven studies on severe asthma shows.

Nurses ‘Injured’ Caring for Obese Patients - Around 5,000 nurses are currently being treated for back pain following a surge in patients’ weights and the number of patients a nurse has to care for, according to the British Chiropractic Association.

Stress & Depression are Major Causes of Premature Births - Research shows that stress hormones - which play a crucial role in the development of the unborn baby - shoot up in women who are depressed during pregnancy.

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