Treatment for Mental stress and Illness

Beginning of school

 This is a big event in the emotional life of a child, especially for one who has not gone to nursery school. Extra love, sup- port, and praise should be given him as he makes this big adjustment. The parents should become part of the school life through visits, parent- teacher activities, etc. Some experts on child rearing believe that personality is relatively fixed by the time a child starts school. We disagree, even though we believe strongly that the early years are highly important. We believe that personality is constantly developing and changing as life proceeds, and that only death marks the end of personality and emotional change for a human being. From the beginning of school until puberty there is a quieter period in the emotional life, the so-called latency period, when the child undergoes fewer upheavals and is usually highly receptive to education at school and at home.

This is the calm before the storm. Then come puberty, adolescence, and the teen-age years. Until adolescence, there will be no doubt of a child's dependence on the parents. Now, however, the situation becomes ambivalent. The child lives at home but begins to feel the powerful biological and social drives that will transform him into an adult.

During these stormy years, personality will be molded by the outcome of explorations and reactions to Dating and petting experiences For the girl, menstruation (treated elsewhere in this book); for the boy, growth of sex organs and the occurrence of wet dreams Masturbation Homosexual feelings, activities, and fantasies Sex drives toward the opposite sex Acceptance or rejection by classmates of both sexes Athletics and other school activities Scholastic achievement Some degree of rebelliousness with parents, teachers, police Experimentation with drugs, cigarettes, alcohol Part-time jobs and summer activities Handling of money, budgeting, use of own or family car Surely, we haven't listed all the possible critical factors of the lively teen years.

We can only hope that these and other problems will be dis- cussed by parents and children, because their resolution in a positive, healthy way will do much to prevent mental illness. We suggest that parents and children read the wise book by HaimGinott, Between Parent and Teenager. When parents and teen-agers cannot achieve open discussion and communication, they should find a mature, sympathetic person who can provide guidance (and referee misunderstandings and quarrels).

A teacher, clergyman, doctor, relative, or school counselor may be just such a person. A visit to a psychiatrist may be needed in some cases when personality problems become severe-for example, when a child wants to drop out of school, begins to use drugs regularly, exhibits cravings for alcohol. Nineteen is the last teen year but hardly the end of emotional strains and growth. There follows the period when major decisions must be made about career and marriage. Surely, almost every expert on personality would agree that a rewarding job in which the individual is happy is great insurance for mental health. This, of course, is a good argument for obtaining the right education to open up a wider choice of career possibilities. A secure, happy marriage can be a bulwark against emotional problems.

We deal with marriage later. Let us stress that marriage is so important that the decision to enter into it should be based on mature judgment, not entirely on romance. Remember that more and more marriage counselors are helping people before marriage with advice about possible suitability and compatibility and by giving them realistic previews of problems to be faced.