Susan Rachele on Parents' Roles in Their Child's Mental and Emotional Growth

Susan Rachele grew up in a household where one parent has severe bipolar disorder. The extreme highs and extreme lows that a person with bipolar disorder experiences can greatly affect their relationships. Imagine a child being exposed to these extremes on a regular basis, and having to deal with it on his or her own because it is the parent who exhibits the manifestations of such extremes. Research shows that children who were constantly exposed to violence and abuse are at a higher risk of developing a mental disorder in their teenage years or when they become adults.

For Susan Rachele, these mental disorders manifested in the form of PTSD, ADHD, OCD, BDD, and SPD. She is now working closely with a cognitive behavior therapist to help her cope with her conditions and improve her quality of life.

With that said, parents play a huge role in the child's mental, emotional, and physical development. Where the constant atmosphere at home is that of stress, anxiety, or violence; the child's behavioral and intellectual growth may become underdeveloped. The parents' attitude towards their own bodies also heavily influences how a child may perceive his or her own body.

A child as young as 5 or 6 years old may already be worried about their body image because that is what they see from their parents. And as they get older, they may be more focused on this body image and may use extreme means to "keep up" with their perception of a perfect body.

When a child is raised in a nurturing, supportive, and loving environment, they develop a healthy self-esteem which translates to them being happy with the way they look. They also will learn to be loving and supportive to the people around them; their family, friends, teachers, and everyone they meet.

Susan Rachele on Negative Body Image: 4 Ways It Affects You

Susan Rachele suffers from a mental condition known as Body Dysmorphic Disorder, or BDD. A person suffering from BDD sees his or her body as flawed. It may have to do with weight issues, a physical flaw such as scars, an unflattering mole, or any other perceived deformity. Where a "normal" person would be quick to brush off such flaws, someone with BDD behaves otherwise; often becoming so obsessed with the perceived flaw to the point of avoiding social interactions and undergoing numerous cosmetic procedures to become more beautiful—or acceptable in public.

When a person has a poor or negative body image, certain disorders may develop, foremost of which is an eating disorder. A poor body image affects the person in four distinct ways:

1. Body perception or Perceptual Body Image. You see your body as flawed even if it really isn't. You have a specific perception of your body where you may see it as too fat or too thin, or too dark or too white, or in other ways that aren't the accurate representation of your body.

2. How your body makes you feel or Affective Body Image. How you feel about your body can elicit either satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Where perceptual body image is related to how you see your body, affective body image is more concerned with how you feel about it.

3. How you think about your body or Cognitive Body Image. This isn't the same as perceptual body image. So as not to be confused, cognitive body image is related to how you think about your body, along the lines of "If only I were a little thinner, I would be more popular, or "If I had more muscles, I would be more accepted by my peers," and so on.

4. Your behavior based on your body image or Behavioral Body Image. With a distorted body image, your behavior can be deeply affected by it. This is where certain disorders, such as an eating disorder, may develop as mentioned above. Your body image affects your behavior in extreme ways.

For Susan Rachele, seeing a cognitive behavior therapist is an important part of her recovery process. Her CBT is helping her cope and overcome her BDD.