Mental Illness In Children

Much like any mental illness at any age, illnesses diagnosed in children generally do not have one single definitive cause. Children who develop mental illnesses tend to have a number of biological, psychological, and environmental risk factors that contribute to their development. Biologically, mental illnesses are typically associated with abnormal levels of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin or dopamine in the brain, a decrease in the size of some areas of the brain, as well as increased activity in other areas of the brain. In terms of the environment that a child with a mental illness finds themselves placed, the cause of their disorders can be influenced by the way in which he or she interprets said environments and the events that it produces, be it negatively or positively.