How Children's Physical Health Impacts Their Mental Health
The challenges of physical disorders are more than any kid should have to handle—but often they come along with mental health issues that can make growing up even more difficult.
We all care about our child’s emotional wellbeing. We want them to be confident, handle emotional swings, and feel good as they go through school and all the challenges of growing up. For children struggling with a physical health condition, the difficulty increases. But those issues are then often compounded by behavioral health disorders as well. A prime example is children who have diabetes, a disorder which many people are still able to live "normal” lives with.
However, children diagnosed with diabetes are much more likely to struggle with their mental health:
Young people with diabetes were nearly twice as likely to have a mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder or developmental or language disorder compared to those without diabetes.
Children ages 2 to 11 with diabetes had more than double the number of these disorders compared to children of the same age without diabetes.
Adolescents ages 12 to 17 with diabetes were 50% more likely to have a disorder than those of the same age without diabetes.
Roughly 2 in 5 children and adolescents, or 40%, with diabetes have a mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder.
These findings come from a study conducted by medical researchers, published in the Journal of Pediatrics and cited by the CDC. It used data from 2016–2019 National Survey of Children's Health.
So why are children with diabetes much more likely to also struggle with behavioral or developmental issues?
THERE ARE SEVERAL FACTORS TO CONSIDER:
Children with diabetes may feel embarrassed or isolated from other kids, especially having to check their blood sugar in class or often visit school nurses and doctors for insulin injections.
Diabetes can limit participation in some school or after-school activities.
Depression and anxiety are also often found in kids who have diabetes, which can derive from having to constantly manage blood sugar levels.
Eating disorders are prevalent as well.
Ok, so your child doesn’t have diabetes. What does this mean for you?
In our opinion, these statistics underscore the linkages between physical and mental health, and the importance in testing for behavioral health issues especially for those who are statistically more at-risk of developing one. Particularly with regards to children, catching or identifying these issues early is critical, as developmental issues are often associated with other mental health and substance abuse disorders later in life. Annual physical exams are required by most schools or sports teams. In our opinion, behavioral health is just as important to examine and monitor.
Health ailments—both physical and mental—rarely crop up in isolation. Often someone struggling with one issue has a much higher likelihood of developing others. At MHT, our goal is to expand behavioral health testing and improve efficiency so healthcare providers can help those who need it.
MHT’s SmarTest® AI tests tens of thousands of patients each month. Our patented behavioral health screening platform is the quickest for healthcare providers to identify, treat, refer, and bill for various behavioral health concerns. A large majority of patients who score highly for a possible mental health disorder on a psychological exam choose to seek professional treatment as well. In other words, people want help, they just don’t always realize they need it.
If you’re a clinician or provider, here’s a brief rundown of everything we do for our partners: We send patients assessments, upload results into the EMR, notify of high-risk results and make referrals on your behalf. We also track and upload subsequent test results performed by referred specialists. SmarTest® AI tracks both patient and provider progress and outcomes. For professionals who manage clinics, we help increase your revenue through add-on CPT codes and additional ancillary services, lightening the administrative load and boosting your bottom line.
To learn more about MHT’s SmarTest® AI, you can ask our partners, or contact us here.
Resources:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022347622008095
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/data-research/research/young-people-mental-health.html#:~:text=Young%20people%20with%20diabetes%20were%20nearly%20twice%20as%20likely%20to,the%20same%20age%20without%20diabetes
https://pharmeasy.in/blog/impact-of-diabetes-on-childs-psychology/