Do Children Suffer from Stress Related Disorders?

by familymwr

Article by Jay Bose

Believe it or not, they most certainly do. The young minds are like a sponge and they soak up everything they hear, see, feel and touch. As parents, guardians and rational adults, we have a responsibility to ensure that these youngsters are not affected by the stress of the modern day world as much as possible. They are our greatest imitators and will copy everything that they can from adults and from their environment.Children being subjected to unusual stress at an early age can have disastrous effects in their adolescent and adult years with ailments such as heart disease, kidney disease, hormonal imbalances apart from psychological limitations. The worst part of it all, is evidence of stress in a child's mind may not be detected until much later in life - often times that is too late.

Stress of Modern Day Society in Children Exposure to evils of our modern day social structure, such as domestic violence, domestic quarrels between parents, divorce or legal separations, war, poverty, living in polluted environments, peer pressure, racism, drug abuse, institutional violence, educational pressure, inappropriate movies and news are simply catastrophic for the young minds and can drive them into a situation where stress and anxiety reduction could soon become a challenge. The problem is magnified because children cannot express themselves as well as adults can, as a result of which it is difficult to detect early symptoms of stress and anxiety that may already be taking deep roots in their minds and still remain undetected until much later in life. This is why it is best to address this situation by simply ensuring that children are not exposed to stressful situations at least until they become mature enough to comprehend what they see and listen to. In this article, let's consider one of the common causes of stress in children

Exposure to Content Intended Only For Mature AudiencesMovies produced and released in the United States and Europe are rated for a specific purpose - to pr! ovide th e adult or the caregiver guidance on what's appropriate for children and what are not. It is imperative for adults to understand the purpose of such ratings and expose children under their care accordingly. When left unattended, children will let their imagination soar to heights where they've never been before. This causes confusion and confusion causes stress when they try to convert that imagination into reality and realize that they can't. The content filtering also applies to news media as well. While some television news channels will issue a warning before discretionary content is aired, they are not obligated to do so. When you switch to a news channel today, what percent of the news do you think is healthy for a child's mind? There won't be much to talk about. The same applies to printed media. So if children are exposed to content that is inappropriate for their age - it just adds to their confusion. Stress and anxiety reduction in children is possible by simply removing the cause of stress before it has the opportunity to grow any roots.A child's most favorite question is "Why?". Those who are or have been around growing children know this for a fact. Do you know why that is the most popular question in children? It's because children are voracious learners and seldom take anything for granted. It is an inherent technique to learn about their world and try to make sense of everything that their five senses can detect. They are trying their best to understand the world that they live in and comprehend everything that is happening around them. This is why you will find that regardless of your answer to the "Why", there is another "Why" coming up almost immediately. This stems from that urge to learn.As long as you can provide answers that are rational and reasonable in terms that the child can comprehend, you will be able to whet their appetite for knowledge. However if you cannot answer their question or if the media content they are watching or reading cannot provide that answer, their ! basic an d natural instinct to comprehend is left unfulfilled, although they feel a burning desire to understand what they have been exposed to. When things start piling up and remain unresolved, children are subjected to stress. The stress could turn into depression and anxiety, an outcome of the frustration in the child's mind to understand his or her world.So, this is an advice to parents and caregivers - be careful to what media you child gets exposed to. If you think you would be uncomfortable to cater to their inquisitiveness, or the child does not have the right maturity to comprehend the content on their own, keep them away from such information. You will be doing your child a service that they will thank you for one day when they grow up.Stress related disorders in children are not only related to improper media exposure. There are several other means by which the young minds can become victims of stress and remain undetected. I will discuss some of these in upcoming editions.

About the Author

Jay Bose operates his website at www.StressAndAnxietyFree.com where he writes and provides coaching on how to defeat depression and anxiety and how non-invasive techniques can be leveraged for stress and anxiety reduction.

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