Mental Health Problems of Infants

The mental health problems of infants concern therapists from all over the world, as they have grievous consequences for an individual’s future. Children from the moment of birth by the age of three are predisposed to mental diseases because, at the early development stage, both psyche and brain are in a fragile state (Hoven et al., 2019). The family and relationships with its members need to be highly sensitive in promoting secure mental health for a child.

Risk factors for mental health problems often include parents. World Health Organization (2020) divides such factors into those connected to a child and those coming from parents. According to WHO, parents are inclined to abuse for they suffered maltreatment themselves and have a mental disorder, or they being alcohol or drug-addicted in addition to having a criminal twist (World Health Organization, 2020). What is more, parents with low self-esteem, inability to control impulses and even financial problems in a family are also the cause (World Health Organization, 2020). Parents are the main factor in putting their children’s health at risk.

The most severe issue with infant mental health problems is that they are challenging to recognize. Therefore it is crucial to be thoroughly familiar with the symptoms of childhood depression. As Essau (2017) puts it, such symptoms include the absence of energy, loss of interest in activities and pleasure in doing them, change in psychomotor activity, loss of appetite, a change in weight, and sleep disturbances. Moreover, these symptoms must be present at least for two weeks continuously. Parents in the state of depression put their children at risk of being also depressed (Essau et al., 2017). Thus, in diagnosing infant depression, the parent examination also makes sense as the health of a child entirely depends on the healthy behavior of their parents and other members of the family.

References

Child maltreatment. (2020). WHO | World Health Organization. Web.

Essau, C. A., LeBlanc, S. S., & Ollendick, T. H. (2017). Emotion regulation and psychopathology in children and adolescents. Oxford University Press.

Hoven, C. W., Amsel, L. V., & Tyano, S. (2019). An international perspective on disasters and children’s mental health. Springer.