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Unlocking the Mysteries of Children’s Mental Health

An Introduction for Future Teachers

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Prepared by the MinnesotaAssociation for

Children’s Mental Health

for the Minnesota Department of Education

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Childhood Mental Illness

• All children go through rough times at school, with friends, or in their families

• Most common problems, such as sadness after a family move, clear up with time and maturity

• Consider three things if you suspect a student may be experiencing an emotional problem:– Frequency: how often does the student exhibit the

symptoms?– Duration: how long do they last?– Intensity: how severe are the symptoms?

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Childhood Mental Illness

Behaviors or moods that:– Are no longer age-appropriate– Are much more dramatic than in peers– Continue for longer than usual

should alert adults to investigate the possibility of a mental health (emotional or behavioral) disorder

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On Any Given Day…• Three million American children meet the clinical

criteria for mood disorders• 21% of children and adolescents have a

behavioral, emotional, or mental health problem• One out of every 20 Minnesota children is

identified with Severe Emotional Disturbance• Suicide is the second leading cause of death for

ages 15-34 in Minnesota. The overall suicide rate is double the homicide rate in the state

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Mental Illness Can Be Treated

• Children spend over half their waking hours in school - this makes teachers front line assistants in recognizing and assisting treatment

• Best practice includes therapy, possibly medication, and consistent behavioral support across settings (home, school, community)

• Every child with emotional or behavioral challenges has a possibility to succeed in life

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Mental Health Disorders May Be Difficult to Recognize

• Mental health disorders emerge during ongoing development and at times may look like misbehavior but are NOT the same

• Disorders in infancy, childhood, and adolescence may not have the same symptoms as in adulthood

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Early Intervention Can…

• Minimize effects on child and family• Lessen duration & severity of symptoms• Lessen disruption of normal development• Increase academic success• Increase social success• Reduce risk of legal system involvement• Reduce risk of family disruption and abuse• YOU are a key factor in early intervention

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Lecture 1

The Normal Brain and the Disordered Brain

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Focus:

• The structure and function of the normal brain

• Mental health disorders as brain disorders

• The brain and learning

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“I think educators ought to be interested in the brain because they teach brains! If you’re a classroom teacher, you’ve got about 30 of them in your room and I can’t imagine somebody who would teach a room full of brains who wouldn’t be interested in brains…If you’re involved in the development and maintenance of a brain, you need a kind of knowledge that is more than folklore knowledge.”

Robert Sylwester

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Major Brain Structures

• The brain is divided into several portions or “lobes,” each with a specific function

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Major Brain Structures

Frontal Lobe• Judgment• Planning• Creativity• Organization

Many Mental Health disorders involve problems in the frontal lobe

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Major Brain Structures

Parietal Lobe• Reception of sensory

information• Sends messages to the

limbs

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Major Brain Structures

Temporal Lobe• Hearing• Memory• Meaning• Language

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Major Brain Structures

Occipital Lobe• Vision

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Major Brain Structures

Cerebellum• Balance• Long-term memory• Motor movement

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Cross Section of the Brain

Outer Cortex• Sensory input• Motor movement

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Cross Section of the Brain

Brain Stem• Unconscious functions

– Breathing– Digestion– Heartbeat

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Cross Section of the Brain

Corpus Callosum• Bridges right and

left brain

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Cross Section of the Brain

Hippocampus• Memory

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Cross Section of the Brain

Cingulate Gyrus• Arousal

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Cross Section of the Brain

Basal Ganglia• Involuntary movement

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Cross Section of the Brain

Amygdala• Fear and arousal

regulator

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Basic Brain Structures:Nerve Cells

• Nerve cells - your brain has more connections than stars in the universe: 100 billion

• Require a steady supply of glucose & oxygen -- depressed or actually destroyed by alcohol, drugs, nicotine, caffeine, some medications, sleep deprivation, stress, lack of use, lack of intimacy

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Synapses & Neurotransmitters

• Electrical charges travel from cell body to tip of axon

• Tip releases chemical neurotransmitters which bridge the synapse to the receptor sites on the dendrite of another neuron

• This is the process of all learning!

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Prefrontal Cortex:Attention, Judgment, Emotions

• Functions– Attention span– Perseverance– Planning– Judgment– Impulse control– Organization– Self-monitoring– Problem solving– Critical thinking

– Forward thinking– Learning from

experience & mistakes– Ability to feel and

express emotions– Influences limbic

system– Empathy– Internal supervision

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• Problems– Distractibility– Lack of perseverance– Lack of impulse

control– Hyperactivity– Chronic lateness– Poor organization– Procrastination

– Unavailability of emotions

– Poor judgment– Trouble learning from

experience– Short term memory

problems– Social & test anxiety– Lying, confabulation– Misperceptions

Prefrontal Cortex:Attention, Judgment, Emotions

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Basal Ganglia: Movement, Emotions, Motivation• Functions

– Integrates feelings and movements

– Refines fine motor movements

– Suppresses unwanted movements

– Sets anxiety level– Enhances motivation– Pleasure

• Problems– Anxiety, panic– Negative thinking– Conflict avoidance– Muscle tension – Tremors, tics– Fine motor problems– Headaches– Low or excessive

motivation

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Recent Brain Based Research

• New developments in brain research allow for clear visualization of normal and disordered brains, at rest and at work– CAT scan– MRI scan– PET scan– SPECT scan

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Neurobiological Disorders

• Because of this new understanding, many new terms have been developed and promoted as more accurate than mental illness:– Neurobiological disorders– Brain or Bio-brain disorders– Neurobehavioral disorders– Neuropsychiatric disorders

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What are We Talking About?• The latest research shows that mental illnesses often

derive from brain malformations or malfunctioning

• Disruption of brain development, causing emotional or behavioral symptoms can be caused by:– Prenatal or early exposure to toxins– Situational crises– Chronic stress and anxiety – Malnutrition– Disease– A combination of these factors

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Risk Factors

• Many brain disorders cluster in families, showing a genetic component or predisposition

• Some symptoms relate to damage due to injury, infection, poor nutrition, or exposure to toxins

• Stressful life events, malnutrition, childhood maltreatment, and aggression may lead to short or long-term symptoms and increase the likelihood of adverse outcomes

Research shows both biological and psychosocialfactors influence the development of the brain, and brain disorders

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The Brain at Work = Learning

• What Helps – Safe environment– Meaningful tasks– Timely feedback– Varied input

• What Hinders– Anxiety – Distraction, aversion– Brain disorders