The month of May is National Foster Care Month. It encourages us to shed light on those who are looking for places in this world where they feel loved and cared about. I want to share some research that I did back in 2017 about the Foster System and what you can do to make it better for someone.

The foster system can have harsh effects on adolescents' behavior, mental, and physical health. These youths can often have many problems surface throughout the years as they are a part of the system. The problems can include mental and/or physical health problems as well as others.

Adolescents who are put in foster care can often develop behavior problems due to the excessive amount of discipline or lack thereof. They can act out based on situational factors (i.e. placement in a foster, or group foster home; the atmosphere at said foster or group foster home and the interactions with peers). The behavior problems can be attributed to their mental health issues and disorders such as ADHD, anxiety, eating or mood disorders. These behavior problems can be improved, but can also be a part of life long-term for these teens.

The mental health problems can be correlated to the lack of mental health services and the prior presence of a mental health need before they are a part of the foster system. There is an improved possibility of mental health disorders for those adolescents who have gone through traumatic situations. Some of the most common mental health that gets diagnosed are attention-deficit disorder (ADD), anxiety disorder, and mood disorders which can include depression.

The physical health side of the foster system is often overlooked and overshadowed by the other two that I've already discussed, but by no means is it any less significant. Physical health problems are often set to the side and the mental and behavioral issues are often dealt with first. To define physical health as the state of physical well-being does not constitute the entirety of physical health. The level of the adolescents' health is also dependent upon traumatic stress which can cause cognitive, emotional and behavioral concerns. The lack of physical health can leave foster youths behind in social, behavioral, and educational backgrounds.

To close, I am not a professional, but I care deeply about this topic. This is not because I was adopted out of the foster system, but I know people who have been. I encourage you to be a part of something bigger than yourself. There are so many aspects of the foster system that do not get recognition in the public eye and so many people are so unaware of what becomes of those who are placed in foster care. Foster care is a profound institution, but for what cause? Certainly not because of the conditions of the adolescents who are a part of the system. I encourage you to be alert and compassionate toward those who have been and are in foster care.