NUR 3 TEST 5 – Mental Health

NUR 3 TEST 5 – Mental Health Disorders Affecting of Childhood and Adolescence (Palmer) ●Introduction ●Review normal growth and development stages ●You must know normal to identify abnormal ●Emotional problems exist if the behavioral manifestations: ■Are NOT age appropriate ■Deviate from cultural norms ■Create deficits or impairments in adaptive function ●Developmental tasks [increased responsibilities w/ age] ●Set of skills & competencies the child must accomplish in order to deal effectively w/ their environment ●EX: Toilet training/ feeding self / talking / interacting w/ others ●Developmental reasoning isn’t fully established until age 23 ●Assessments ●Must be conducted in a “safe” environment for the child ●Must be age appropriate based on both chronological & developmental age ●May need to be assessed w/ or w/o the parent ●Remember, play (ages 3-9) is how thoughts & feelings are expressed ●Play Therapy for Childhood Disorders ●Play is the work of the child ●Tx of choice for 3-9 y/o ●Allows for safe expression of feelings ●Allows for creative outlet ●Allows for transfer of fears & anxiety ●Provides a means for children to learn to cope ●Depression ●In children it’s not “just a phase” ●Genetic predisposition ●Physical or emotional detachment ●Stressful events ●Age related behaviors r/t depression ■Up to 3 years: feeding problems, tantrums, lack of playfulness ■3-5 years: accident proneness, phobias, aggression, excessive self reproach ■6-8: physical complaints, aggression, lag in social skills, clings to parents ■9-12: morbid thoughts, excessive worrying, fear of disappointing parent ●Tx ■Usually only hospitalized if suicidal ■Therapy for coping skills ■Family therapy ■Medications if necessary ●Schizophrenia ●Onset of symptoms is rare before age 12 ●Usually seen in later adolescence & early adulthood ●Prognosis= very poor for childhood onset ●Most schizophrenic children show delays in language & other functions long before their psychotic symptoms appear, usually age 7 or later ●Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) ●Complex neurodevelopmental disorders ●Abnormal or impaired development ■Social ■Communication skills ■Repetitive & stereotyped behaviors ●More common in boys than girls (3-4:1) ●Onset= before age 3 ●Persists into adulthood ●Etiology = unknown but several theories exist ■Genetic ■Prenatal factors ■OB complications ■Exposure to toxic agents ■Neurological