Running head: MENTAL ILLNESS AND THE EFFECTS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN 1

Mental Illness and the effects on the Development of Children

Jacob I. Alexander

Jackson Community College

MENTAL ILLNESS AND THE EFFECTS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN 2

Abstract

I chose to do research on a topic that really hits home for me. I wanted to look at the

effects that having a mental illness as a child had on the development of that child. Also living

with a parent that has a mental illness, I wanted to see how having a parent with a mental illness

could affect development. Mental illness is very prevalent in our society today. The different

illnesses can affect anyone, and these illnesses’ have no biases.

When I was growing up, my father was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Bipolar

disorder is defined as being a brain disorder that causes a person to have erratic mood changes.

This disorder causes a person to go through manic episodes as well as depressive episodes.

Growing up watching my dad struggle with this was hard, and made family life not so great.

Once I was old enough to understand what was going on, I was able to be empathetic towards

my father. This is the reason I am doing this research for this paper.

Some of the topics that I will be researching are listed here. Does having a parent with a

mental disorder cause their children to develop differently than a child with mentally fit parents?

Also along with having a parent with a mental illness, does this cause the child to also develop a

mental illness? Another topic I will be researching is how a child with a mental disorder

develops differently from other children with no mental issues.

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Having a parent with a mental illness makes life very difficult for children. I say this

because my father has a mental illness, and growing up watching what happens affected me in

many ways. So what does happen to children’s development when living with a mentally ill

parent? A study that was done in the Netherlands showed that seventeen percent of children in

the Netherlands live with a mentally ill parent (Van Loon, Van de Ven, Van Doesum, Witteman,

& Hosman, 2014, p. 1). This study showed that many of these children were living with only

one of their parents. Living with only one parent can cause many problems within a household.

I know that growing up with two parents makes things a lot easier for children. I have

many friends whose parents are divorced, and they had several different experiences that I never

had to encounter. Trying to raise children as a single parent is hard enough, but add in a mental

illness and things get worse. Children of parents with mental illnesses are shown to develop

more problems with emotions and behavior. This could be from the parent not monitoring the

child and giving enough attention during development. Also these children are not monitored as

much as children with mentally fit parents. Tracking what children do, and keeping an open line

of communication is key during development. They are experiencing all these new things, and

sometimes cannot make the right decisions. One parent cannot track a child better than two

parents can.

Having a mental illness can be debilitating to anyone whom has it. Having a mental

illness makes you think mostly about yourself and no one else. This can lead to problems when

dealing with children. Children need to be nurtured, taught, loved, and kept track of during the

early stages of development. According to Erik Erikson’s stages of development, children in

stage three (Initiative vs. Guilt) are looking to their parents to see how to act. If a parent is
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dealing with their mental illness and the child sees it, then it makes sense that the child will want

to imitate the parent’s behavior.

Not only do parents have a decreased role in children lives when they are dealing with a

mental illness, but the child usually has to start taking care of the parent themselves. When a

child is pulled away from the fun and events in their young lives to take care of a parent, I

believe that many problems can occur. If a child is busy watching their parents they have no

time to have a social life, and develop friendships with other children their age. Depression

would be a side effect of this, because the child has no time to just be a child. Also if a parent

gets suicidal, then a child will either see their parent die, or have to deal with the aftermath of an

attempt.

Parent’s roles in their children’s lives is very important. Now what happens when a child

is diagnosed with a mental disorder? From taking an anatomy class I know that the brain does

not completely finish developing until about 25 years old. The most important time for

development is in our childhoods. Having a mental disorder will make this important time more

difficult to navigate. Puberty is the time that mental illnesses’ are most noticeable and are able to

be identified (Spooner & Martinovich, 2014, p. 1). Puberty is when humans start developing

secondary sexual characteristics. So what are the most prevalent mental disorders in

adolescents?

Out of the many mental disorders that are known, Anxiety Disorders, Attention Deficit

Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and depression are the most prevalent mental illnesses’ in

adolescents (Children’s Mental Health- New Report, 2014). Depression disorders to me would

be such a difficult thing to deal with when still in a crucial developmental stage. Clinical

depression is a mood disorder in which feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or frustration interfere
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with everyday life for weeks or more (Depression - overview: MedlinePlus Medical

Encyclopedia, 2016). Depression can be debilitating, and make life look bleak and like it has no

meaning. So what are the effects of depression on development?

Depression in children and adolescents is seen less frequently then in adults. Even

though this is the case, there are still many cases that happen. Depression has shown to decrease

the competency level in children, which can only make this disorder worse. There are gender

differences when it comes to depression in children and adolescents. Depression is manifested in

young girls far more often than it is in young boys. So if depression is overwhelming feelings of

sadness, then it makes sense that depressed children lack social skills that are needed. When

someone is depressed they tend to retreat into themselves, and not let anyone in. Being social

creatures, we need friends, and people to be around us. This lack of a social life can lead to

many problems, with suicide usually being the result.

Suicide in children and early adolescents is actually very rare to see. According to the

European College of Neuropsychophramacology, “in adolescents and young adulthood suicide

rates increase to mean worldwide annual rates of suicide among 5–14 year olds of 0.5 per

100,000 for females and 0.9 per 100,000 for males, and for 15–24 year olds 12.0 per 100,000 for

females and 14.2 per 100,000 for males, respectively (Santosh, 2012, p. 1). As you can see in

the statistics that were pulled, even though suicide is rare, it is higher in males than females.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death, which makes prevention very important. Once a child

transitions into adolescents the risk of suicide starts to peak.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is another mental disorder that is seen in

children a lot. This disorder usually starts in childhood and is still around when one reached

adulthood. ADHD is defined as a chronic disorder that is marked by some hyperactivity,

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sometimes impulsivity, and lasting inattention (Kidd, 2000, p. 1). I know many people who have

been diagnosed with ADHD when they were children. My best friend was given medication for

her ADHD in fifth grade, because she was exhibiting many of the characteristics. She was never

able to focus on something for too long, she was one of those kids that just couldn’t sit still and

had to be doing something at all times. She would get into a lot of trouble due to these facts. I

also remember how the other kids reacted to her. They all thought she was weird, and no one

really wanted to play with her. Once she was put on medication it seemed to calm her down, and

she was able to act like all the other “normal” kids.

One thing that kind of scares me is all these medications that they are prescribing these

young children to control the symptoms of ADHD. Without the medication there are enough

developmental challenges for these children. Prescribing strong nervous system stimulants to

children could also have an effect on their development. Methylphenidate is the most used

medication to treat ADHD. This drug not only has a big list of side effects, but has been shown

to restrict growth in children.

ADHD has jumped out of the shadows and into everyone’s lives. It is now a disorder that

isn’t looked down upon like it used to be. Children with the disorder will hopefully be able to

develop normally just like everyone else. Parents with children who have ADHD have a big job

in front of them. Not only do you have to remain vigilant with the child, but you have to teach

them ways to deal with what they have. A parent’s greatest job is protecting a child. I see

parents punishing kids with ADHD because they are being to hyper, or not doing as well in

school as they should. I don’t believe that that is the best tactic for parents to take. Children no

matter their circumstances need to be loved first and foremost. If a child with a mental illness is
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not feeling loved, that could only make the illness worse, and cause the child to lash out, and not

want to deal with life.

Anxiety is one of those things that seems unavoidable to me. I remember when I first had

an anxiety attack. It literally felt like I was dying, and all I wanted to do was sit in my bedroom,

be left alone. When it comes to children having anxiety, it must be so horrible, especially if they

don’t know what is going on. “Anxiety refers to the brain response to danger, stimuli that an

organism will actively attempt to avoid (Beesdo, Knappe, & Pine, 2009, n.p.). There are many

different forms of anxiety disorders. So depending on what one a child is diagnosed with, will

reveal the developmental issue that could happen. In any case, anxiety can also lead to

depression, due to the fact of not wanting to be social with other children. Also with younger

children their ability to vocalize what is going on is not as good as an adolescent. Since anxiety

is basically fearing something, the ability to recognize if it is just normal anxiety, or pathological

anxiety is very difficult. Separation anxiety is an example of normal anxiety in very young

children. Also being afraid of the dark as a child is common, and may produce some anxiety in

children.

Most of these mental illnesses’ I have been talking about really have many implications

with social aspects of development. Cognitive development has considerations, due to the fact

that a lot of the illnesses’ have medications used to treat symptoms. Also the differences

between male and females are sometimes different. Some have more prevalence in females and

others in males. Growing up with a mental illness has to be very difficult for the child. Not only

would making friends be difficult, but you never know if there is going to be resentment from

your parents.
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Growing up with a father that had a mental disorder really made me think of how other

people feel no matter what. Just because someone is different doesn’t mean we have to treat

them worse than other people. My father had his periods of normalcy and periods that scared

me. When he was in his depressive states, I was afraid that I would never see him again because

he might commit suicide. I feel for other children who have to deal with a mental illness in a

family member. I can tell you that it made me want to stay home more often, to make sure that

my dad was fine. Also I feel like a lot of my emotional issues came from all the problems that I

dealt with early in life.

One of the biggest problems I had, was the constant fighting between my mother and my

father. It made me think that maybe I would never want to get married and have to deal with

something like this. It had effects on my adult life more than my younger years. Development

happens across a lifetime. So dealing with a parent with a mental illness as an adult can be very

hard. Seeing the struggles that my father goes through every day is scary. Adding on top of that

his fear of aging, and the fear of dying. Every time I leave his house after visiting, or hanging up

the phone with me I worry. I ask myself, “Will this be the last time I hear my dad’s voice”?

The brain is a fascinating and extremely complicated organ in the body. The amount of

things that can change the makeup is amazing. Mental illnesses’ are one of those things that are

out there to me. One has to understand completely what is going on in someone’s head whom

has a mental disorder. Children who get a mental disorder early in life are bound to that, and

have to find ways to deal with it, and live a semi-normal life. I feel so sad for all the children

that are lost every year due to suicide from a mental disorder

The one thing that I can say is that if I hadn’t had dealt with a person with a mental

illness, I may not be the person that I am today. All life’s journeys are ways for people to learn,
MENTAL ILLNESS AND THE EFFECTS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN 9

and navigate this tricky thing that we call life. Someone who was very close to me passed away

recently. She had a mental disorder that kept her locked away in a bedroom for many years. She

would come out to see her children, but that was about it. This made her children’s lives hard,

because all they wanted was to see their mother. This mental illness kept a great mother away

from her family for many years, and on her death bed was very happy to have us around. If only

she could have changed her circumstances, and found a way to experience all the joys that life

has to offer.

From this day on that death will live with me forever. I am still in the process of

developing still, and this will change things forever. I will want to make sure that if I know

someone with a mental illness, to tell them that I am here for them, and they can ask me for help

whenever they need it.

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References

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Children’s Mental Health – New Report. (2015). Retrieved May 02, 2016, from
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Cicchetti, D., & Toth, S. L. (1998). The development of depression in children and
adolescents. American psychologist, 53(2), 221.
Depression - overview: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. (2016). Retrieved May 02, 2016,
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Kidd, P. M. (2000). Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children: rationale for its
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