With so many public health measures that influence Child Development, it is hard to focus on one over another. That is why this week I have decided to take on a personal approach to the Blog Assignment and talk about my own experience with mental health issues (with emphasis on alcoholism) within a family and how it affects Child Development. My father was an alcoholic in my younger years and quit when I reached an age where I could understand what was happening. He then took the bottle again when I was in high school, an age where I had started distancing myself from my family in preparation for the journey into adulthood, yet while my younger siblings were at a viable age. I watched as the disease took a hold on my family and changed my brother and sister's perspective on the world. Alcoholism itself is a result of addiction and as Berger states, "There is no single 'alcoholic gene'...genes create an addictive pull that can be overpowering, extremely weak, or somewhere in between" (Berger, 2016, p.85) which means that either myself or my siblings are at risk to develop a dependency on an addictive substance because of our influence growing up, especially with the knowledge that temperamental traits can be inherited. However, that does not mean we have to dread the future. Currently, my father has been a year sober and has changed his life around once more. As a result, my siblings, who both still live at home, have created a new relationship with him and have reached an age where they recognize the disease and know that they do not have to fall victim to it. In many cases, children do not get to see their parent turn sober and as a result, grow up thinking that this is the norm in which to follow. These Children of Alcoholics (CoA) are a community of children and adults who have seen the effects of alcoholism and mental illness within their own families. When this happens through the vital stages of Child Development, it can be detrimental to their own ways of thinking and how they develop.
While like many mental illnesses, there is no true way to "cure" alcoholism. It is a constant battle and one that must be dealt with, if anything, for the child's sake. It is important to recognize the symptoms and seek help, but it is equally important to educate the child on what is going on. When the child understands that alcohol is an addictive substance and that their parent has a disease that controls them, then they can began to realize that they do not have to grow up thinking it will control them also. In fact, alcohol should not be necessarily labeled as "bad" for the children. Many cultures, especially European ones, celebrate alcohol. Alcohol is seen as "an important accompaniment to food...Its use in religions is ancient, and reflects social approval rather than scorn" (Heath, n.d., p.346) which is important as children grow up with alcohol in the home as a means for food and religion, rather than a source of escape for the parent. It can even be said that European standards of having the drinking age start at as young as 15, prevents alcohol from being seen as this great entity that Americans use to feel as a source of empowerment as they have to wait until they are 21 years of age to drink, an age in which many are away from home and around peers who do not realize alcohol is not just a drug to escape reality, but should be a source used in moderation and not always funneled out of a chugging-bong.
References
Berger, K. S. (2016). The developing person through childhood (7th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Heath, D.B., "Some Generalizations about Alcohol and Culture," pp. 348-361 in Heath, D.B., ed., International Handbook on Alcohol and Culture, Greenwood Press, Westport, CT, 1995, p. 350-351.
Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteMental illness is a true disease. The difficult part for many is to understand its difficulty in curing or even just getting a handle on it. It's easier for folks to understand when there is a part of the body that needs to be heeled, for example a broken arm. If you cast it, in six to eight weeks it's heeled! Not quite so easy with a mental impairment or with an addiction.
Here's something interesting about mental health care or the lack there of: The Office of Minority Health indicated that only 8.7% of adult Black/African Americans received help for mental health issues in 2006-07 as compared to 16% of adult white people. I haven't done a lot of research on this issue, but I bet stigma plays a role in whether professional medical assistance is obtained or not.
Emily, I also discussed mental health in my post this week. I found your personal experiences quite enlightening. I think many people don't understand that we must treat people with mental illness like we treat anyone else has a wound. I found in my resources that in Sweden, families have higher rates of depression when they have children with disabilities and Mothers have a higher risk than fathers. When you think about who is most likely
ReplyDeletetaking care of these children, many times it is the mother. A single mother is a likely factor as well. I think we as professionals need to view mental health treatment with more respect rather than referring to therapy as a need for only crazy people because we all need therapy to some degree.
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