Stress - How It Affects a Child's Brain?
Over 160,000 children stay home from school each day in the US due to stress and fear, and tens of thousands more are making it to school filled with fear and anxiety. In addition to the dangerous effect stress has on our children's health and emotional stability, it also dramatically effects their ability learn and retain information.
What is STRESS and Why Must We Experience it?
It all comes down to survival.
The zebra on the plain in Africa undergoes intense stress when being chased by a lion and the stress response lasts until either the zebra becomes a meal or escapes with its life. But if the latter occurs, the stress response ends and within minutes and the zebra's heart rate returns to normal, its immune system re-starts and he goes back to grazing and reproducing.
Unlike a human being, a zebra is not capable of worrying and dwelling on the fact that the plains of Africa is a dangerous place to raise a family, how he will pay the mortgage this month or will he be downsized at work. Nor do his offspring want to stay home from school because they can't deal with the bullying any more. Though we no longer live in the wild, because human beings are capable language and inner dialogue we can sometimes let our thoughts run almost uncontrollably wild.
The stress response kicks in when our life is threatened and prepares our body for a fight or to flee from danger. Any function of the body that does not play a role in fighting for survival or fleeing at top speed shuts down so oxygen filled blood can go to where it is needed to survive. Under stressful situations our immune and reproductive systems shut down and blood rushes to our hind brain where emotions of fear and distress are generated and blood is directed away from our pre-frontal cortex (forebrain) where conscious reasoning and calculated thought occurs.
Unlike our human ancestors who lived long ago, living in modern society we don't have to worry anymore that we or our children might be eaten by a tiger today, though the threat of losing our job and becoming unable to provide for our family is a real threat to our survival. Bad news through the media can keep us in a constant state of worry about our future, our children's safety and many possible threatening situations. Humans are also capable of intentionally inflicting stress upon one another, and the exact same stress response occurs in our body as if our lives were in danger.
When we can't seem to stop thinking stressful thoughts we can develop chronic stress. Chronic stress keeps our body in a state of protection rather than growth, development and healing. Stress in children is particularly dangerous because a child's brain is undergoing rapid development and stress stunts this development.
Because the immune system shuts down under stress, under chronic stress our bodies cannot fight bacterial infection and many stress related illnesses can develop.
When we are under stress blood flow is also shunted from an area of the brain called hippocampus where learning and memory occur.
For a young child, stress can make learning virtually impossible.
Perhaps this may be a possible reason why the US has fallen so far behind other developed nations in terms of math, science and reading assessments. Chronic stress in American children has reached epidemic levels as millions of children every day are prescribed anti-depressants, anti-psychotic and mood stabilizing drugs and diagnosis of bi-polar disease, ADD/ADHD, OCD and ODD are going through the roof!
Kids Experience Stress Just Like Grown Ups
A child's fear of the bully in the playground or lunchroom at school or how his teacher seems to pick on him more than other kids is just as real as his dad's fear of his unemployment benefits running out and he can't make the car payment this month.
In addition to the social and academic stresses at school, divorce and family issues are also sources or chronic stress for children and the physical and emotional toll is equally as dangerous as it is for their parents.
What Can We Do?
Research on stress and stress related illness by neuroscience and studies in subjective well-being and positive psychology have remarkably found that the same techniques that reduce stress also increase happiness, optimism and overall well-being which can act as a buffer against anxiety and depression.
Researchers have found the most important ingredients to reduce stress and increase emotional stability are humor, compassion, caring for and helping others.
"Don't fight the darkness. Bring in the light and the darkness will fade" - Maharishi Mahesh
For more details you can consult with Sharmistha Barai. Dr. Barai, a leading Child & Adolescent psychiatrist based in Saint Louis, Missouri can help you or anyone you know dealing with depression to find effective, medically-proven techniques to deal with the disease and other disorders. She specializes in general psycho-geriatrics, child and adolescent psychiatry, drug and alcohol.
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