Stigmas faced by Children and Adults suffering from Mental Health Issues

Mental Health disorders are on the rise in both children and adults. It is very important to recognize the symptoms and provide necessary treatment to them. As discussed in my previous article , talking about Mental Health is still a stigma in the Indian Society. 

The stigmas faced by children are different from that faced by adults. The Stigmas can prevent children and families from talking about, exploring and addressing any feelings they have, which is an important part of raising healthy children.

Stigmas faced by children  :

The child is lazy / weak :

People believe that the child who is going through a mental illness is lazy and is making an excuse to not  work or complete his homework.

This is just a phase :

Most of the times when there is a change in the behavior patterns of a child, the parents ignore and say that it is just a phase. It can definitely be a phase but if that changed behavior continues then it is necessary to seek help of a professional. The parents need to keep a vigilant watch on their children and they need to keep a check if the child becomes very quiet , talks about harming himself , wants to be left alone, has a loss of appetite or talks about harming himself.

Child's irritable behavior is termed rudeness:

When the child gets irritable or snaps, the parents start saying that the child is rude. One has to keep a check and observe the behavior of their child. If the child gets irritated or snaps very often without any reason then he might be going through some issue. It should not be ignored.

The child is labelled as Incompetent :

If the child is performing well in academics and suddenly the grades fall,  instead of finding the reason of the fall in grades , the child is labelled as incompetent.

Stigmas faced by adults :

People who are suffering from mental illnesses are violent : 

This is not true. A person who is suffering from mental illness is not always violent or dangerous. The family, friends and co-workers isolate the person.

Discrimination :

A person who is suffering from a mental illness faces a lot of discrimination. The employers do not hire them. The health care workers offer them sub standard treatment.

One of the common stigmas that is faced both by adults and children is that both are bullied by peers, family or co workers. Sometimes they are physically harassed too.

This post is my second post of Blogchatter's cause a chatter. In my next post, I will talk about how to overcome these stigmas.

Am I a calm Mom ?

 

Life before a baby and life after a  baby are completely different. Like most of the moms, I too had an image in my mind of a being a perfect and a calm mom all the time when I was expecting my son. Each of us go through our own experiences of motherhood. Being a mom truly changes everything and it can be overwhelming too at times!

Am I a calm mom all the all time ? Honestly, I am not .I am really working hard on not losing my temper and get irritated easily. One thing which I have realized is that having a calm mom matters a lot to every child. Our children are our own reflections. If one snaps at their child every time he asks a question, after a point of time the child will start behaving in the same manner and snap at us when we ask him something.

Since I became a mother, I realized that I got irritated easily. A small trivial thing was enough to set the trigger off for me and I started to take that out on my son. I soon realized that this was not correct. It wasn't my son's fault at all and I wouldn't be able to raise a calm child if I am not calm myself.

It takes a lot of hard work to control one's emotions. I am sharing a few tips which I have learnt along the way and which have helped me to be a calm mom :

The child is not responsible for a mom's behavior:

The mother has to understand that she is responsible for her actions and behavior. Being overwhelmed with day to day duties is not child's fault. A mother's emotional state at the moment reflects her state of mind. It is very easy to get angry at your child and scold him when he spills milk on his clothes. But it takes a conscious effort to stay calm and tell the child that it is alright. Change his clothes and tell him calmly to be careful while drinking milk the next time.

Identify and acknowledge the triggers which set you off and make you angry.

Sit down. Take a deep breath. Write down the points which make you angry. Are your overwhelmed with the house work? Have you got enough sleep? Answer these questions and then try to work on them. 

Wake up 1-2 hours before your family wakes up. Take this opportunity to do what makes you happy. Read a book,have a cup of coffee, listen to music, workout or just  do nothing. This will definitely charge you for the day ahead.

Keep your phone away when you spend time with your child. Set aside certain time in a day when you do not use your phone at all. Let this be your special time with your child. You will realize that your child will feel very happy and it will definitely strengthen your bond with him. 

Accept the fact that you are not a supermom. Do not try to be perfect at everything, It is alright if the house is not clean one day or you didn't make ten things for dinner. Do not stress out because that stress will definitely be visible in your behavior.

Ask for help. If you are feeling overwhelmed, ask your husband or family to pitch in. Take this time to meet a friend for coffee. Go out, have a good time with friends. You will definitely come back rejuvenated and will be in a better mood.

Declutter . If mess makes you irritated, then de clutter and donate or throw the things which you no longer need. Seeing a clean and neat space definitely brightens up the mood.

Last but not the least, enjoy with your children. Make each moment special. The children grow up very fast. This is the time to hug them, laugh with them at their silly jokes and play with them. Enjoy this beautiful phase and always remember that you are the best mom for your child!

#motherhood #calmmom #mom