Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn about mental health and normal development as they relate to abnormal development and psychopathology. Mental health is a term for how we think, feel, and act, in order to face life’s situations. It is how we view ourselves, our lives, and the people we know and care about. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, evaluate our opinions, and make choices. Everyone has mental health.

An estimated one in ten children and adolescents in the United States suffers from a mental illness severe enough to cause some level of impairment. Fewer than one in five of these children receive treatment. Perhaps the most studied, diagnosed, and treated childhood-onset mental disorder is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but even with this disorder, there is a need for further research. Children change rapidly during their developmental years. Diagnosis and treatment of psychopathology must be viewed with these changes in mind. While some problems are short-lived, others are persistent and respond best to early intervention.

Development

You can think of childhood mental disorders as normal development that has gone awry. Psychopathology, or a mental disorder, reflects behaviors, which were once considered appropriate for the child’s level of development, but are no longer considered appropriate for the child’s level of development. Whether behaviors are considered normal or pathological depends upon when they occur in the developmental sequence. For example, I have a two-year-old granddaughter that recently learned to say “No.” Her response to most requests is to reply with an emphatic “No.” If you ask her to pick up her toys, she says “No.” If asked to go to bed, she replies “No.” However, this behavior is quite typical for two year olds and is not a cause for alarm. If this type of behavior continues into her pre-adolescent years, then it can be a sign of oppositional behavior.

Development refers to how children grow and mature, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Development occurs over time and in three broad areas or domains: mental, physical, and emotional. Mental development refers to thinking and reasoning. Mental development is also referred to as cognitive development; it includes development of language. Piaget is one of the major figures involved in cognitive development. Physical refers to height, weight, gross motor skills, brain development, and fine motor skills. Emotional development includes social interactions with family and peers and moral development. Psychopathology can be seen when development goes awry in any of these three developmental domains.

If you are to understand childhood psychopathology as normal development gone awry, then you must first understand normal development. It is important that you recognize that all children develop at their own rates. However, there are developmental milestones that most children achieve within a similar range of time. For example, most children stand alone and begin to walk between the first and second year of life. Although children develop at their own rates, they all need encouragement and love to help them progress through their stages. Childhood is a time for learning and changing. During this time, children establish lifelong skills and behavior patterns that can greatly influence their future.

References

Project Life (2001). The ABCs of children’s mental health: a guide for children and youth, parents and professionals. Project Life, 620 Clark Hall, Columbia, MO 65211.

Wenar, C. & Kerig, P., (2000). Developmental psychopathology, Fourth Edition. McGraw-Hill. Boston, MA.