Children in foster care are often known to be at risk of developing a mental illness because of the past or the fear of being in a foster care home. There are reasons why this happens and could be down to anything from the reasons they were put in a foster care home or inside the foster care home. Today we will explore why children in foster care are at risk of developing a mental illness.
What is foster care?
Foster care is a safe place where children are put. They get the opportunity to be in a lovely home with a nice family. This is often because their parents may not be able to take care of them or there are other issues. The foster care home offers the child a chance to have a happier life with a family until they can be put in a forever home.
Reasons children are often removed from their home
There are many reasons why children can be removed from their homes and away from their biological parents or carers. Some of these are also why they are at risk of mental illness because of trauma.
- Children may be neglected
- The parents may abuse drugs
- Parent or caretaker unable to cope with children
- Parents abuse alcohol
- Unable to afford children due to the rise of costs, etc.
- A child’s behavior may become a problem for caretakers or parents.
- Physical abuse.
- Emotional abuse.
- The child may have been abandoned by parents or caretakers.
- Parent death.
- Sexual abuse.
- Disability of the child.
- Accidents that have caused the parents or carers to have a physical disability.
There are so many reasons, neglect is the most common reason why children are taken into a care home with a whopping 62%. It is really sad to see some of the statistics when you research online. Thankfully foster care homes offer them the chance to be happy again and to escape past trauma they may have experienced. They can experience a loving family, have decent food, develop their own skills and talents, and much more.
Why are children in foster care at a higher risk of developing mental illness?
Mental illness can be caused for many reasons but in foster care, children who have been removed are at a higher risk of developing it. This is most likely because of the many reasons involving why they were taken away from their biological parents anyway.
So why are they at risk of mental illness? Well, firstly for the reasons they were taken into care. A good example could be abuse causing the child to be at risk of anxiety such as social anxiety and PTSD. The death of a parent or caretaker can make the child at risk of mental illness such as depression. The loss of a loved one can really hurt all of us especially if it is your parents but for a child, it can cause them to develop mental illness because of losing them and then having to start this new life in a foster care home.
The most common mental illness developed by children in foster care.
Children in foster care can develop mental illness for many reasons. Depression and anxiety (GAD, social anxiety, and PTSD are the common types of anxiety) are the most common types of mental illness developed by children in foster care. Besides those, ADHD, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (aka OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (aka PTSD), and Schizophrenia. There are many more but these are the most common I found during my research.
These mental illnesses are common because of any kind of mental or physical abuse, it can be caused because the child is scared of being in foster care in general and being away from what they are used to. Starting a new life can take some time to get used to. It can be caused by traumatic experiences and maybe the loss of their parents. Some children may develop them due to some changes such as having another sibling or experiencing the chance to have two parents.
Signs a child in foster care may have a mental illness
If you think that your foster child may be developing a mental illness, please take them to be diagnosed as the quicker you diagnose them the easier it is for them and for you.
However, if you are unsure you can look out for signs. You can look at signs such as; Anger issues, sudden mood swings, isolating themselves from you and others, becoming more anxious, eating less or more than usual, sudden loss of confidence, unable to relax suddenly, grades start to lack, becoming indecisive and unsure, hesitant, sleeping less or more than they usually do, talk about feeling guilty or worthless, self-harm, etc. these are many ways you can spot if your foster child may have a mental illness. However, some are not as easy to find so always make sure you are spending time with them so it makes finding the signs easier in the future if they do develop mental illness.
Support you can get
You can get a lot of support if you find your foster child has developed a mental illness. Your GP has answers and can help. This is a good way to start as they can give you information on mental illness and help you research. The GP can also point you in the direction of therapies, counselling, and other forms of support.
They may also allow you the chance to put your child in social groups. They maybe offer other forms of help in terms of funding for any equipment needed, etc. Getting support is always important, you can research and find many ways to get support. You can talk to their school if they’re struggling in classes and maybe help them with whatever they need. You are their biggest support. Showing them you are willing to help them is the best support you can give them.
