Depressed mood related to difficult life curcumstances

Benny: Benny's family lived on social assistance. His father had left the family years ago because of alcohol problems. His mother had not been able to find work, and had three young boys to raise. They didn't have medical insurance, so he and his siblings often suffered through ear infections or sore throats without antibiotics. Their sneakers were often falling apart by the time their mother could replace them. Benny was embarrassed by all this, and lied to his friends about his home life. His mother was upset that he was ashamed of his family, and smacked him roughly when she heard. Unlike his two younger brothers, he always seemed to be in some sort of trouble. When there was a fight among the boys, Benny usually got blamed. He often thought he should run away from home, but there was nowhere safe to go. He didn't want to end up in a gang like some of the other boys in his neighborhood, but he often wondered how else to find a place to fit in.

Benny's life has been difficult from the start. He is not faced with adjusting to a sudden change, but rather coping and trying to make a good life for himself despite the odds. His environment poses a combination of several risk factors for maladjustment. Poverty, a rough neighborhood, a stressed single-parent household, limited access to medical care, less than optimal parenting, and being made the scapegoat in the family can all contribute to emotional problems. Benny does not necessarily need counseling. Benny needs a source of hope for the future. The ability to excel in some area that would allow him to escape his circumstances would strengthen this. A successful male role model that took an interest in him (for example, a big brother) could also be helpful. Emotional support for his mother could also, indirectly, benefit Benny and his brothers. Although helpful interventions in this case are more social than psychiatric, they are no less important if Benny is to have a chance to make it.



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