Mental illness: Issues diverse, common throughout Hoosier state's children

As a third-grader, Pfeiffer had trouble paying attention in class. She was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, and has been medicated from then until high school. The prescription helped with her attention span and organizational skills, but the shock of being told she had a problem was troubling.

“... Having a doctor and a psychiatrist telling me there was something wrong with me and then having to take medication it was a little bit hard,” said Pfeiffer, now a freshman at the University of Southern Indiana.

“...I think people think they don’t need (medication) and it’s a lack of caring more than a disorder,” Pfeiffer said.

A good portion of Indiana children are dealing with their own stigmas — some of which are more severe than ADD.

According to figures unveiled Monday from the Indiana Data Book, an annual publication released by the Indiana Youth Institute that tackles health, education and family statistics for all the state’s children, about 1 in 5 adolescents in Indiana has a “diagnosable mental health disorder. About 5 percent of those kids deal with a “severe” problem; 4 percent have a problem of with anxiety; and 3.1 percent have experienced depression. Twelve percent of kids 5 years and older received treatment or counseling from a mental health professional. About 1 in 20 children were found to have behavioral or conduct problems. 

A common difficulty is depression - an affliction that can affect kids as young as 2 years old.

Emily Reidford, executive director for the Evansville branch of Mental Health America, a nonprofit that assists those dealing with mental health issues, said a diagnosis of mental illness for a young child can affect every area of their life.

"... If you tell a kid at the age of 3 or 4 'you're mentally ill,' or (give) a mental health diagnosis or a disorder, then you know, that's your identity," she said. "That's going to have lasting effects." She said there are several possible origins for mental health issues in children.

Troubles can stem from a traumatic event, everyday stress or just a mysterious feeling they can't pinpoint.

Medication

One of the ways children and their parents choose to manage a problem is through medication. And although that path works for many children, it isn't without its bumps.

James Schroeder, a child psychologist at St. Mary's, said he's seen an increase in prescription medications for children dealing with mental health issues.

Among those prescriptions are anti-psychotic medications that decades ago those would've been used just for individuals who may have been suffering from hallucinations or delusions.

Now the medicines are being used for behavioral issues in children.

"I think there has been about a three-to-four-fold increase in the last 10 to 25 years of these medications, and it's getting younger and younger," Schroeder said. "It used to be school-age and now it's not uncommon for me to have a preschool-aged child prescribed." Schroeder believes there are three main factors that contribute to the rise in prescriptions for children, including restrictions being lifted on how medications can be advertised, as well as societal pressure and general availability.

Parents don't want to have a kid that has a problem, Reidford said, which is why they are so quick to medicate. They don't want to see lifelong effects and they want to get the situation, whatever it may be, under control.

Schroeder agreed.

"What we are seeing is that parents, in hopes that their kids will stay ahead, are increasingly seeking out something that they think will be an asset to improve focus or attention," he said.

Side effects from the medication can be physical as well as mental, Schroder said.

"What I actually worry about is when it (medication) is chronically used and not regulated closely, (kids) develop a whole another set of problems that didn't even exist before," Schroeder said. "If you think it's hard being depressed when you're 6 (years old), try being depressed and overweight when you're 6."

Depression

Sara Ellis, a high school senior in Colorado who briefly lived in the Tri-State, said she's been dealing with symptoms of depression for about five years.

But Ellis said her parents have a hard time accepting that she mental issues, which include anxiety and depression. Despite their objections, she would like to give medication, or counseling, a try.

"I know my mental health would probably be a lot better if I was treated or if I at least had help for it," Ellis said. "Being depressed and anxious and having no access to things that can help sort of lets your mind run rampant and does a lot more damage than it does good." Schroeder said overworked brains can exacerbate depression, especially through exposure to online pressures and social media.

"When we are worried, we are very absorbed in what we think might happen. When we are depressed we are very absorbed with ourselves about what has happened," he said. "So, I think with the millennial generation repeatedly seeing (themselves) in videos and pictures, it makes them think more about, 'Who am I?' 'Do I fit in?' 'What's going on?'" Ellis said she knows for some people, medication doesn't help, and those people manage to work through their problems on their own. But she believes every mind is different.

"There are many different types of mental illnesses and not everyone will respond to the same treatments," Ellis said. "For me, I feel like I will eventually have to be medicated because just waiting for the storm to pass just hasn't worked for me."

Counseling

Reidford suggests parents explore every possible option to help their children.

Counseling is key because it teaches children how to work within themselves to figure things out.

"A lot of mental health disorders are undiagnosed," she said. "So, you know a lot of times a kid will really be struggling with anxiety or other feelings they aren't really sure of and they don't have the language to be able to tell someone that they are struggling with anxiety." Reidford said parents should do a full assessment of their child's wellbeing before pursuing a fixed course of treatment. She said physical health can play a major role in mental health. Are they eating well? Are they exercising?

As far as behavioral disorders, she stressed the importance of differentiating troubling behavior from kid behavior.

"Being a child is not necessarily a disorder in itself," Reidford said. "Kids are going to be rambunctious and they are going to be active, but that is part of being a kid."

No 'lifelong battle'

Pfeiffer said once she enrolled in college, doctors gave her the choice of whether to continue with her medication.

"So I've been trying my best to go without it and see if I can do it and for the most part its been OK," she said. "I only take it when I'm studying or need to do homework or take exams. I just try to figure out ways of coping with it." She said others have a more difficult time coping.

"I have friends that don't want to be medicated and they try to live their lives without it," she said, "and their grades reflect it, too." Reidford said treatment - and outcome - of a mental illness depends on the person. Mental illness can last 10 sessions, 10 months, 10 years or longer.

"It doesn't have to be a life-long struggle or a lifelong battle," she said. "It's about managing it."