Children’s Mental Health Development

Love for children, care and provision for the family, and family relations are part of who we are as Athabascans. From an early age we hear that “children are our future,” that we should always protect our Elders and youth, and that we pass our knowledge down to our children. So our culture places great importance on our youth and children. As we move toward May 8th, Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, please keep in mind the values that have been handed down to us: children are our most precious resource.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 6 children between the ages of 2 and 8 has a mental or behavioral disorder or face severe mental health challenges. On this day, we focus our attention on learning how we can help our children, understand the challenges they and their families face, and explore what we can do– as individuals, families, and communities–to support these children/youth and their families. By participating, we help reduce stigma or shame, support families in getting the help they need at an earlier age, and foster compassion while reducing hesitancy around getting help.

Common Mental Health Challenges

Common mental health challenges that children and young people face include the following:

• Anxiety disorders. Anxiety challenges in children presents as “big” fears or worries that are hard to control. Because they are so “big,” it may prevent the child from being able to take part in activities, in school, or just being in social situations. There are ranges in diagnosing including social anxiety, just an all-around anxiety (generalized), and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD). Children who are diagnosed with this disorder have more trouble paying attention and are more impulsive than other children their age. If they have hyperactivity components, they may also be too active. Children with ADHD may also have a mix of all these issues.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ASD is a neurological (brain) condition that may show up in early childhood often before age 3. Children with this challenge often have trouble talking and connecting with others. ASD is also on a spectrum from mild to moderate to severe.
• Eating Disorders. Eating disorders means that there is an unhealthy focus on an ideal body type, a disordered thinking about weight and weight loss, and unsafe eating and dieting habits. Examples of this include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating. This disorder can result in people not being able to act emotionally and socially and can cause life-threatening physical complications.
• Depression and other Mood Disorders. Depression is feelings of sadness that last a long time, low or irritable mood, and loss of interest in activities that children/youth normally take part in. These symptoms disrupt the child’s ability to do well in school and interact with others. Bipolar disorders result in big mood swings between depression and emotional or behavioral highs. These highs can result in taking part in risky or unsafe actions.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is a long-term emotional upset, worry, scary memories, nightmares and acting out. This disorder is usually because of violence, abuse, injury or other traumas a child has had or encountered.
• Schizophrenia. This is a disorder in what you think you see or hear (perception) and thoughts. Schizophrenia causes a person to lose touch with reality, called psychosis. Most often the symptoms show up in the young person’s late teens through 20s. It can cause a person to see or hear things that aren’t there, called hallucinations. It also can cause odd thoughts and behaviors.

Symptoms to Watch For

Some of these changes may be subtle, you hardly notice it at first.

• Sadness that last two or more weeks
• Changes in social activities or staying away from others
• Hurting oneself or talking about hurting oneself
• Talking about death or suicide
• Having outbursts or being very moody or irritable
• Out-of-control behavior that is risky for them
• Big changes in mood, behavior or personality
• Changes in eating habits
• Loss of weight
• Trouble sleeping
• Getting headaches or stomachaches often
• Trouble concentrating
• Doing poorly in school
• Not going to school

How to Help Your Child

What can you do as a parent, family member, or friend if you need advice, where to go, what to do if you want to seek help?

• If you live in the villages, see your medical provider. If you have a Behavioral Health aide, contact their office.
• If you live in urban areas, contact Behavioral Health at Tanana Chiefs by calling 907-459-3800, Option 2 for after-hours support.
• If you have a System of Care (SOC) office, please contact them.

No matter where you start, it is important as a parent to take that first step to protect your child’s well-being.

How can you support and help your child manage and cope with what is happening with them?

Being involved in their treatment plan is the best way to help yourself and your child. The following are other ways you can help:

• Learn as much as you can about what is happening with your child. Knowledge gives you power and control.
• Consider getting counseling or support for you and family as part of their treatment plan.
• Ask their clinician or support staff to help you understand ways to respond to your child’s issues and what to do in a crisis situation.
• Stay healthy as a parent. Caregivers are under a lot of stress. Ask local BH staff (BHA, SOC staff) to help put together a circle of support from family and friends. They will be there for you during challenging times and can help make sure you have time to take care of yourself.
• Always find ways to have fun as a family including those with challenges.
• Always look at the child’s strengths and skills and celebrate them.
• Be involved in the child’s IEP at school and build a team that will give your child the best opportunities to function, to grow, to learn, and to be successful!

We need to all work together to give our children the opportunity to be well and to access the services they need while supporting their family members during difficult times. Those with mental health challenges- and we all face those at some point in our lives- should be given a chance to live to their full potential. Our ancestors truly believed that and taught us that. Find their strengths, work on weaknesses, get the support they need, start or join a support circle. All these steps will provide our children and youth with the opportunity to succeed and to be well.

For more information or if you have concerns, reach out to TCC’s BH Department or your local BHA/SOC Department. Visit https://www.tananachiefs.org/services/health/behavioral-health/ to learn more.