CINCINNATI — As Mental Health Awareness Month comes to an end, doctors are urging parents to take a closer look at symptoms their kids are showing and how that may be linked to mental health disorders.
One teenager shares how her severe anxiety and depression manifested into physical symptoms and what her advice is to other parents on what to look for.
What You Need To Know
- Mental health disorders like anxiety and depression can be manifested in physical symptoms, like abdominal pain and chronic nausea
- Jade Hudson started experiencing those symptoms in grade school and it started impacting her attendance and grades
- Hudson was diagnosed with anxiety and depression and was referred to a therapist who helped her find relaxation techniques
- Gastroenterologists urge parents to seek medical advice if their child is experiencing these symptoms and it is impacting their daily lives
Jade Hudson is most at home with a pencil in hand. The 19-year-old began drawing at a young age.
“I really liked cartoons and stuff and I was like I want to draw like that," Hudson said.
And now her sketchpad had become a sense of calm. Hudson started experiencing chronic nausea in grade school, but she wasn’t sure why.
“It really, like, made it a struggle to get to school," she said.
Gastroenterologists at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital urge when symptoms start impacting a child’s everyday life, like going to school, it’s imperative to seek a doctor’s help.
“When you begin to see that GI symptoms seem to be getting in the way of your kid being able to function and be their be their best self, best version of themselves, then that's an opportunity to come see your primary care doctor, come to our GI division," Dr. Kahleb Graham, a gastroenterologist and residency program assistant director at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, said.
Graham said when it comes to gut health, you can’t separate the mind and the body.
“I'm always looking through a lens of how the mental health and also how the body is sort of working, to play a role together," Graham said. "We know that kids sometimes have physical manifestations of emotional distress.”
Which is exactly what was happening with Hudson- she was then diagnosed with anxiety and depression. She was recommended to seek help from a therapist. Dr. Jillian Austin, a psychologist at Cincinnati Children's, said after working with Hudson for several months, she noticed a significant change.
“She had some social anxiety," Austin said. "And I felt like I helped her give her some strategies. And then it was like a new person. She came in, she was talkative, she was bubbly, and I felt like I was finally getting to know the real Jade.”
One of those techniques that was effective for Hudson was deep breathing, but many other relaxation techniques help kids in these scenarios. Hudson has found that, now that she’s graduated therapy, with her drawing.
“It’s very calming in its own sense," Hudson said of her drawing.
She’s a big advocate for therapy for kids and teens and hopes parents will listen to their kid’s needs.
“I think that therapy is something a child deserves if they say they need it," Hudson said. "Especially if they’re going through troubles that a parent can’t see.”
Hudson said thanks to her treatment and therapy with Cincinnati Children’s, she feels like a completely different person.
“I feel more empowered to do new things and, try out new situations and better myself and, help the people around me as well," she said.
According to the CDC, nearly six million children ages 3-17 are diagnosed with anxiety. And almost three million kids are diagnosed with depression. Seeking early help for your child at a primary care physician or a children’s hospital is crucial.