Beginnings of “Mental Illness”
When a child is upset, for example in the first year of life, by the time a parent reaches them they are crying, their heart is pounding, their blood pressure is increased, their little face is red. The amygdala and other structures of the primitive brain are activated causing the release of excitatory neurotransmitters associated with danger -Fight, Flight or Freeze! A loving parent comes quickly in response to the tears, and holds the cradles their child; this baby is now snuggled affectionately, rocked, fed, and held. The baby’s crying is hushed and along with it, the primitive brain and its signals of danger. Now, safely cradled in tender care this baby’s body and brain experience a gentle cascade of calming brain chemicals including serotonin.This balance in the body and brain of a child who receives attentive, nurturing care, become the foundation for later mental health and emotional self-regulation. Later in development, this child is able to regulate themselves because of the cycle they experienced repeatedly in their formative months of development. They were upset, and experienced a flood of stress hormones and neurotransmitters; then they were comforted and cared for and they experienced the gentle cascade of calming, healing, regulating neurotransmitters. This foundation of brain regulation becomes the foundation for later behavioral regulation. When someone hurts their feelings, they get upset but they can calm themselves; they can self regulate. When they can’t find their shoe five minutes before leaving for school, they’re upset but they can calm themselves and self regulate. For most children who have come into protective custody of Child Protective Services (CPS), the calming cycle may have never occurred, or may have occurred intermittently, leaving them on a runaway train of neurochemicals associated with danger (Fight, Flight or Freeze).
