Lecture 7 Lecture Notes

Child and Youth Studies CHYS 1F90
Dr. J. McNamara
Fall/Winter 2023
Body-Mind Diversity
o The idea is the language of children
Historically - Behaviour that we didn’t understand
Institutions
Brown Vs. Topeka Board of Education (1954)
o US supreme court ruling
o “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal”.
o Cannot have separate schools- have
Provincial legislation
o Each province has its own education acts, regulations, and policies
o “students with special needs should experience education in settings that allow them to achieve their individual
goals in inclusive settings”.
Who are we talking about?

10% of the population of children and youth
What does it mean to have a dis-order or dis-ease?
Atypical Development
 Development that is not within average ranges
– Example – childhood fantasizing
 What is typical?
 When does fantasizing become atypical?
 Atypical development is what characterizes disorder
Children and Youth Affected by Mood and Anxiety
Depression
General Characteristics in Children and Youth
 Poor performance in school

 Withdrawal from friends and activities
 Sadness and hopelessness
 Anger and rage
 Poor self-esteem or guilt
 Changes in eating or sleeping patterns
 Substance abuse
 Suicidal thoughts or actions
Prevalence
 1% of pre-school children
 2-3% of elementary school children
 6-20% of adolescents
What causes Depression

 Related to chemical imbalance in the central nervous system
– Associated with decreased levels of neurotransmitters such as serotonin
 However, it is not simply a lack of serotonin
 The exact cause remains elusive
 Two influences – Biology and/or Environment
Why do some children cope well with adverse environmental conditions while others do not?
 Children have a Psychological Toolkit
– Genetics
– Personality
– Parents
– Friends
– Etc.
Depression - Treatment
 Medicinal
– Anti-depressants
 Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft etc.
 Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI)
– Benefits unclear for children and youth
 Behavioural
– Social support systems
 Prevention
– Warning signs
– Offer your support
Negative outcomes
Positive outcomes
 Depression is among the most treatable of mental disorders. Between 80% and 90% percent of people with depression
eventually respond well to treatment.
Anxiety – Important Concepts

 Anxiety on a continuum
 Related to stress
 When is it problematic
 Anxiety as physical
 Whole body
Cortisol
• HPA Axis
Cortisol suppresses other mechanisms
• Immune system functioning
• Cognitive functioning
• Biological functioning
Etiology of Anxiety
Biological Influences
Genetics may contribute
Risk for developing anxiety disorders likely inherited
Environmental Influences
Causal
Trigger
Relationship between stress and health

• Cardiac health
• Cancer
• Depression
• Etc.
Types of Anxiety Disorders

 Generalized Anxiety
 Phobias
 Social Anxiety Disorder
 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
 Separation Anxiety Disorder
 Obsessive – Compulsive Disorder
 Panic
Generalized Anxiety Disorder

 Consistent fear, worry, and a constant feeling of being overwhelmed.
 Characterized by excessive, persistent, and unrealistic worry about everyday things
 The most common mental health difficulty
 Excessive anxiety is associated with three or more of the below symptoms for at least 6 months:
 Restlessness, feeling keyed up or on edge
 Being easily fatigued
 Difficulty in concentrating or mind going blank, irritability
 Muscle tension
 Sleep disturbance
 Irritability
 The anxiety results in significant distress or impairment in social and occupational areas
 Difficulty controlling the worrying
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Why does PTSD occur?
 May develop after an individual experiences a traumatic event such as;
– sexual or physical assault
– witnessing a death
– natural disaster
– terrorist attack
Phobias
Panic Disorders
Obsessive – Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

 Obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterized by anxious thoughts or rituals you feel you can't control
Treatment of Anxiety
 Cognitive-Behavioural Management
 Medication (caution with children)
 Serotonin re-uptake inhibitor
 Serotonin-Norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitor
 Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil, Lexapro, Cymbalta, etc.
Schizophrenia (Dementia Praecox)
 Onset is usually during adolescence
 Confusion between what is real and what is not
 Not split personality
Positive Symptoms
 Positive symptoms are behaviours that should not normally be present, such as:
– Hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not real).
– Delusions (beliefs that aren’t based on fact).
Negative Symptoms
 With negative symptoms, it seems as if something is missing from the person, such as:
– Having little energy or interest in life.
– Feeling depressed.
Onset of Schizophrenia
 Affects 1 in 100 individuals
 Average age of onset:
– Men 18
– Women 25 (some protection from higher levels of estrogen)
– Early symptoms (warning signs) are often evident in childhood
Onset
Gradual
(more common in children or young teens)
or
Acute Psychotic Episode
(more common in adolescents or adults)
Children with Schizophrenia

 A small percentage of young children are diagnosed with Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia
Causes - Theories
 Excessive levels of dopamine
 Schizophrenia is present at birth,
– a second or third trimester "insult" that may affect, at a minimum, the development of the hippocampus, the
prefrontal cortex, and the thalamus
Genetics
 Genetic vulnerability is a risk factor for schizophrenia.
 A person with a parent or sibling with schizophrenia has approximately a 10 percent risk of developing the disorder
compared to a 1 percent risk for a person with no family history of schizophrenia.
 Concordance rates for monozygotic twins is .50
Environmental Cause
Viral Infections during pregnancy
Toxoplasma gondii Infection
 A parasite transmitted to cats when they consume an affected rodent
 Humans come in contact with it through cat feces
 Manifestation of TG is often delayed until 20s or 30s
Schizophrenia - Treatment
 Medicinal
– Anti-psychotic drugs
– Block dopamine receptors
 Haldol, Stelazine
– Severe side effects
 Parkinsonian symptoms, acute dystonia (facial ticks), sedation, drug-like outlook
 Behavioural
– Behavioral management therapy
– Hospitalization
Supporting Someone with Schizophrenia

 Lack of awareness that they are sick:
– Be patient
– Lack of awareness is often part of the illness
– People usually come to realize that they are sick after having been on medication for a while

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Child and Youth Studies CHYS 1F90

Who are we talking about?

What does it mean to have a dis-order or dis-ease?

Children and Youth Affected by Mood and Anxiety

 Poor performance in school

What causes Depression

Anxiety – Important Concepts

Relationship between stress and health

Types of Anxiety Disorders

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Obsessive – Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Children with Schizophrenia

Supporting Someone with Schizophrenia

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