I chose the effects of maternal/fraternal mental health on babies.
I chose this because it is a topic that hits close to home for me. There are and were many people in my family with mental health issues that lead to drug, alcohol and tobacco addiction which lead to many different issues with the children in my family.
I lost many of my family members to these addictions as well.
Two of the children have to be monitored throughout their whole lives for signs of depression and also for bi-polarism. This can be genetic and is currently in the family for two generations.
Another of my relatives has shown signs of anxiety which her father suffers from and takes medication.
Babies are born every day from one or both parents with mental health problems that can be passed on to their infants right from birth or these signs can come later in life.
It is ultimately important as to how the adult in the situation handles their mental health issues as well. If the parent is diagnosed, then the child can be monitored to see if the condition can be passed on or if a symptom is transferred. Some adults go all of their lives undiagnosed and untreated which is unhealthy for their children in ways linked to many conditions such as low birth weight, malnutrition and many more.
As I read on I was intrigued by all of the articles pertaining to mental health issues that adults suffer from that occur during difficult times in life, and are not genetically transferred. Parents struggle during times such as divorce, death in the family, natural disasters and other situations. These struggles can in turn create mental health issues which are detrimental to the health and safety of their children.
Below are articles concerning this issue:
I have learned that there are so many different ways a person can suffer from a mental health issue. It can be genetic or environmental. Ultimately it can affect their child or children. It is so important as caregivers that we try to forge relationships with and understand our families so we can to the best of our ability understand and help their children.
I think that mental health issues are becoming a common factor among young children and needs to be monitored. We had someone come from our local area education agency and observe a little boy in the 4 year old room because of the history of abuse in his family. At my previous school someone came twice a year to observe for mental health screenings. It's a great benefit but sad that it now has to be included in screenings of today's young children.
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