Mental Health Screening for Children

Mental Health of Children

Why is Mental Health of children important?

Every object in the realm of existence in this universe is an amalgamation of certain foundational building blocks. These building blocks with their fundamental qualities influence the genetic makeup of any existence, aka 'padarth' in Sanskrit. This is the philosophy which amalgamates the foundational elements of living & the inanimate forms of existence in this universe. This provides the stepping stone to the theory of 'vasudaiv kutumbakam,'  that means 'the whole universe is a family.'

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Ayurveda considers the 5 basic elements foundational to any existence, viz., Prthvi, Āp, Tej, Vāyu, & Ākaś. These are termed the mahābhūta (pančmahābhūta, being 5 in number).

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Factors Affecting Children's Mental Health

Prthvi: Heaviness, hardness, density, stability, smell predominance. Prthvi attributes nourishment to tissues & accounts for the heaviness, compactness & hardness.

Āp: Liquidity, unctuousness-oiliness, cold, flowing character, soft, slimy with a predominance of taste sensation. Provides moistness, wetness, lubrication, binding activity, produces discharges in & from the microtubular channels of the body. It provides satisfaction & contentment.

Tej: Hot, dry, intense, light with a predominance of the sight sensation. It provides burning sensation, responsible for digestion & metabolism, provides complexion, glow & glitter.

Vāyu: Minuteness, dry, light, clear, quickly spreading, cold, with a predominance of touch sensation. It provides dryness, lightness, tiredness, clarity, & promotes/monitors activities.

Ākaś: Soft, minuteness, light, clear, smooth, cold, rough with a predominance of sound sensation. It provides hollowness, smoothness, and lightness.

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The manner in which these basic elemental mahābhūtas combine would determine certain second-stage elements, viz., the tridoś (pronounced tridosha) - Vāta, Pitta, Kafa.

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The following is the constitution of each doś (pronounced dosha):

Vāyu + Ākaś = Vāta

Tej + Āp = Pitta

Prthvi + Āp = Kafa

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Academic Stress & Mental Health

Vāta, Pitta, Kafa are the three doś of the human body. A perfect balance of these three doś leads to normal health, while any imbalance is the case for illnesses. These three doś are present all throughout the body, but their predominant presence is seen in certain body parts, viz., kafa doś in the upper upper trunk-chest, pitta doś in the mid trunk between the chest & umbilicus, and vāta doś in the trunk below the umbilicus.

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Family Environment & Mental Health

The Constitution is classified into the bodily constitution (Dośaj Prakrti) & the mental constitution (Mānasik Prakrti).

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Dośaj Prakrti

1. Vātaj Prakrti: Rare. Considered not so good. People with this Prakrti usually tend to have a slender body with a cool dark skin. Their skin is rough with prominent veins. They are unpredictable, impulsive, & energetic. They are active in sports and their creativity skills are better compared to others. These persons usually love music or dance. They cannot tolerate excessive physical activities. They learn quickly and forget easily. Regular intake of sesame oil or ghee is beneficial for people of this Prakrti.

2. Pittaj Prakrti: Rare. Considered moderately good. People with this Prakrti usually tend to be medium-sized, have fine hair, and have a tendency to sweat a lot. They usually have brilliant minds & are good at studies. They are usually emotional and short-tempered. They memorize quickly and tend to forget quickly as well. They are more predictable and are quite passionate, aggressive, judgmental & critical. Regular intake of ghee is beneficial for people of this Prakrti. 

3. Kafaj Prakrti: Rare. Considered the best. People with this Prakrti are usually strong, heavy, stable & calm with a tendency to put on weight. They have thick skin, large features, and voluminous hair. These people tolerate exercise well as well doing outdoor games is useful for them. Swimming may cause issues in certain people with this Prakrti. Cold quality worsens the Kafa doś. Their memory is good.

4. Vāta Pittaj Prakrti: Predominantly Vāta & Pitta attributes are seen.

5. Vāta Kafaj Prakrti: Predominantly Vāta & Kafa attributes are seen.

6. Kafa Pittaj Prakrti: Predominantly Kafa & Pitta attributes are seen.

7. Vāta Kafa Pittaj Prakrti: Very rare, called the Sama Dośaj Prakrti, is considered superior having a balance of all three doś.

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Mānasik Prakrti

This describes the mental characteristics of an individual. It is of three types:

1. Satvik - free from defects and blessed with auspiciousness, spiritually oriented, truthful

2. Rajasik - defective promoting wrathful disposition, angry, aggressive

3. Tamasik - defective suffering from ignorance, lazy, excessively sleepy

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Why is Knowing Our Prakrti Important?

1. Helps the person to choose the right diet and lifestyle. Aids in understanding our cognitive profile to know the best learning techniques, and any attributes that need a change-improvement for life success.

2. Helps the Āyurvedic doctor to assess the proneness toward certain category of illnesses.

3. Helps the Āyurvedic doctor to design therapy protocols after understanding the severity of the disease.

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