Manuel has recently learned that his favorite grandfather is sick and is going to die within the next six months. Although he is
only 7 years of age, Manuel has started displaying some curious symptoms. He has frequent headaches and stomach pains with no physical explanation, he has become unusually moody and irritable, and he has lost interest in his favorite toys, video games, and television programs. Given what is known about the expression of mental illness in the young, what is the likely cause of Manuel's symptoms?
Due to the fact that he is still a child, a traumatic experience like what he is going through with his grandfather, can bring on a wave of mixed emotions. Now when children dont know how to deal with it they usually fall into depression, this can lead to anxiety stress and even forms of self hate. He is not showing signs of being physically ill. But being disengaged is a key symptom to being mentally ill.
