I met “Amelia” early on in my psychiatry practice. It was immediately clear to me that Amelia, at seven years old, was carrying an incredible emotional burden for her young age. Though reluctant at first, Amelia eventually opened up about her home life. She spoke with hesitance about her mother’s “bad days”: the weekends she’d stay in bed, the weeknights she'd spent fighting tears after working long overtime hours, the moments when her seemingly jovial mood would suddenly flip to anger.
With a father who was no longer in the picture, Amelia’s fragile and capricious family life was affecting her behavior both in the classroom and at home. She spoke of trouble making friends, of sleepless nights, and of the weight of responsibility she felt caring for her younger brother after school. She was, above all, hopeful that her mother would “get better.”
