Today’s children and teenagers seem troubled. Certain childhood psychiatric disorders like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are diagnosed more often than in the past. A wide range of recent neurobiological, epidemiological, psychological, psychiatric, and other research has revealed some interesting findings about why some of today’s children might be more stressed and unhappy than they used to be. The findings depend on which children are being examined under what circumstances, in what areas and by whom.
The developing minds of children are strongly influenced by the environment in which they are being raised. This environmental context includes home and school life, socioeconomic conditions, race, geographical location, civil unrest, crime, and circumstances that arise out of politics and governance. In South Africa there is a