Can neurofibromatosis be affecting his mental health?
In general, all disorders can affect mental health. With neurofibromatosis, there are several possibilities for affecting mental health. First because this condition can be related to learning difficulties, the areas of the brain implicated are also associated with emotionality. Hence, although one might focus on the cognitive effects of frontal lobe involvement, there is also an emotional component to the frontal lobe inefficiencies caused by the condition. Neurotherapy is often very useful in improving both the cognitive and the emotional difficulties. One the other hand, the stigmatizing effect of the physical effects of the disorder can be very problematic for the child and seriously effect self-esteem. The child may be teased or bullied or made to feel deficient. Also, the cognitive problems often associated with this disorder can effect the child’s self-esteem. You report that the child seems anxious most of the time and is complaining of stomach aches each morning before school.
