Upon reaching adolescence, children's bodies undergo several changes and so do their minds. It is then that their minds are most, as well as least impressionable. And the daunting question regarding the upbringing of an adolescent is how to treat their constantly changing behavior?

Here are some of the tantrums adolescents more commonly throw, and what should ideally be your approach to it:

Your child seems to hate you: It is very common for a phase of emotional exclusionism to prevail between 16-17 years of age approximately. And the worst thing you could do is heighten that emotion by returning the hatred. Make sure you're firm against any extremely unacceptable behavior, but at the same time, show them that you're there for them no matter what.
Electronic devices become the center of their attention: Whenever you want to have an earnest conversation with your children, their attention seems to be drawn solely to their phones and computers. They feel the need to be connected to their friends and all times. Ways to monitor that are by setting limit to the maximum hours spent on devices or making them pay their own bills, which will make them more responsible rather than splurging unnecessarily. Also, if your child is not entirely secluded from the family, it is probably best not to interfere all the time.
Ignoring the curfew: Your kids often stay out later than the set limit. But it is quite possible that your curfew is unreasonable when compared to other parents' curfew. Find out what the average time limit is; it may prevent your child from bearing a grudge against you. In case they still fail to respect your curfew, make sure you spill out to them what the consequences can be, like being grounded for a week. However, in certain cases, your child may be spending time doing nothing constructive, but away from home. There may be something else going on, find out what that is.
Being friends with the wrong people: Sometimes it might happen that you think some children do not have a good influence on your child, but you cannot say that directly because adolescents tend to get very defensive about their choice of friends. Unless the adolescent is doing something harmful with the friend, like using drugs, let him exercise his choice. Otherwise, don't hesitate from seeking professional help to counsel your child.
Being over-dramatic: Every emotion is heightened in your child and you cannot tell them that what they are whining or being overjoyed about are trivial, because that's their prime focus then. Let them realize on their own how irrational they sound or else you may risk spoiling your relation with them.

Behavioral Problems in Adolescents

Infestation on the skin caused by a tiny insect called sarcoptes scabiei, which live on the skin up to 2 months, is called scabies. Reproduction occurs on the surface of the skin and later they tunnel into the skin and lay eggs. This forms an extremely irritated, pimple-like rash structure on the skin.

Despite the fact that scabies can be troublesome, the infestation can usually be dealt with successfully. Treatment commonly comprises of drugs that eliminate the scabies parasites and their eggs. Since scabies is so infectious, specialists usually prescribe treatment for a whole gathering of individuals who come in successive contact with people having scabies.

Symptoms
Typical symptoms such as rashes and intense itching, appear up to 6 weeks since initial exposure. Infected sores, which may require additional treatment, are formed due to continuous scratching. Common sites for occurrence in babies are head, neck, face and hands while in adults, it occurs on the wrist, elbow, waist, penis, armpits, etc. The rash comprises of small blisters or pimple-like knocks which are the tunnel tracks of the mite apparent on the skin.

A more severe form of the condition, called crusted scabies may be developed in some people. This condition which is highly contagious is marked by thick crusts containing thousands of eggs and mites which developed on the skin. It usually occurs in people with weak immune systems. The mites are capable of overpowering the immune system and multiplying at a higher rate.

Treatment

Typical treatment includes disposing of the infestation with medicine balms, creams, and moisturizers. It is advisable to apply the cream all over the body and at night, when the mites are active.
Amid the main week of treatment, it might appear as though the symptoms are worsening. Nonetheless, after the initial week, you'll see less tingling and you should have recovered by the fourth week of treatment.

Precautions should be taken to prevent re-infestation as the mites are capable of living up to 72 hours after being abolished from the body. All clothing must be washed with hot water (122f). This should be followed by drying of the items at a high temperature for half an hour. Finally, the dried items should be vacuumed.

Symptoms and Treatment of Scabies

Whooping Cough (another name for Pertussis) can be termed as an infection to the respiratory system caused by the bacterium Bordetella Pertussis (B. pertussis). It generally affects infants (below one year of age) and who have not yet been immunized; also kids between 11 to 18 years of age whose immunity graphs are on a downward spiral.

What are the Signs and Symptoms?
Initially, whooping cough produces signs and symptoms that may just seem to overlap with those exhibited during the average cough and cold; mild coughing, sneezing, runny nose, low fever, etc. These persist for about a week or two and then slowly, there is the onset of the dry, irritating cough which again turns to prolonged coughing spells. The child s face may seem flushed with a purple hue. The child may also vomit or make the distinctive whooping sound at the end of one such spell. Breathing difficulty can be another issue.

What is the Diagnosis?
The doctor performs an initial check-up followed by tests of mucus sample from the nose or throat. The mucus is checked for the presence of the Bordetella pertussis bacteria. To make a more thorough diagnosis, a blood test is also advisable.

What is the Treatment?
Hospitalisation might be required in case of acute distress. Respiratory support may also be provided if required. If there is intense dehydration, intravenous (IV) fluids may also be administered. As this disease is on account of a bacterial infection, antibiotics will be needed. But these will just treat the immediate effects and the cough cannot be completely done away with.
What can be the Possible Complications?

The possible immediate complications include:

Brain Damage
Pneumonia
Convulsion
Haemorrhaging in the brain
What can be the Prevention?
Vaccination is needed in order to prevent whooping cough. The vaccines are advised to be administered at the age of two months, four months and six months respectively. The 1st booster dose is to be given at 16 to 18 months age and 2nd booster dose is given on 5 year completion of age. An optional booster may be given at 10 year age.

Whooping Cough in Kids - How It Can Be Treated?

Epilepsy is a form of chronic disorder and it is characterized by recurrent seizures. The episodes of epileptic seizures may differ from person to person. These seizures could be a result of genetic disorder or a result of trauma or stroke. During a seizure, a patient may also experience symptoms of neurological disorders and sometimes lose consciousness.

Medical help for epilepsy
Epilepsy itself cannot be cured using medication, but proper medicines help in eliminating recurrent seizures. These medicines stabilize the electrical activity within the brain preventing seizures.

How effective is the medication for epilepsy?
The success of controlling seizures using medicines depends on the type and severity of the epilepsy. Medicines for epilepsy are usually very effective and may fully keep seizures under control. However, controlling seizures caused due to brain problems may be more difficult. Usually, epilepsy medicines can control seizures for a long period of time when they are taken regularly.

When is medical help needed?
The decision about when to start medicines for epilepsy is a tricky one. This is because a first seizure cannot confirm whether a person has an on-going epilepsy problem. A second seizure may occur after many years or may not happen at all. Prediction of seizures is also quite difficult.

The severity of seizures also indicates when to start medicines for treatment. In case a first seizure is quite severe, medication should be started at once. Some people have very mild seizures even though they may be recurring in nature, and medication can be avoided in this situation.

All the pros and cons must be thought over before starting medications for the treatment of epilepsy. It is advisable to wait for a second seizure and then start medications for treatment. In most cases, medication is started after a second seizure occurs, twelve months within the first seizure. You should always consult a doctor to know when you need to start taking medicines to treat the condition.

For making the most out of the medicines to control seizures, you should follow certain steps:
1. You must take medications exactly as your doctor has prescribed.
2. Before switching to generic versions of your medicines or before taking other prescribed medicines, you must consult your doctor.
3. You should never stop taking the medicines.
4. In case you experience enhanced depression, mood swings and suicidal thoughts, you should talk to your doctor immediately.
5. In case you have migraine, you should let your doctor know so that he can prescribe you anti-epileptic medicines, which also prevent migraines.

Medicines cannot treat the underlying cause of epilepsy, but these help in controlling seizures and this is the most common symptom of epilepsy. Medication should be started at a proper time and must be continued without stopping.

When to Seek Medical Help for Epilepsy

While children can light up your life with joy and laughter, sometimes they can appear to be monsters with their temper tantrums and their stubbornness. Stubborn or obstinate children can be very difficult to deal with and could end up disrupting your life as well. However, there are a few techniques that mental health professionals have suggested that can help you deal with your stubborn and obstinate child. These are mentioned here briefly  

Hear Them Out: It s often the case that children tend to be stubborn or obstinate and start screaming when they think they weren t heard. This makes them feel helpless and thus forces them to bottle up and then take out their frustration by either not doing what you are telling them to do or doing exactly the opposite of that. The best treatment in this scenario is to hear them out and patiently try to resolve their problems.

Ensure They Follow Your Example: If one or both of the parents are extremely stubborn, then this would translate into a stubborn kid as well. Doctors have said that obstinacy is often in the genes. Also, environmental influence is a big deal for them as well. Ensure that you are flexible enough with your partner and the child picks up on it.

Teaching Kids About Give And Take: This is a very important lesson in life as it teaches kids to choose priorities. If you teach your kid to always give, then it sends a message that putting themselves second is the best option. However, if he or she is always fighting to take first priority, it may lead to too many conflicts later. Thus it is best to teach them that it is okay to fight for what is yours but also let others have their way sometimes. This attitude will help them develop a balanced attitude and lessen their obstinacy.

Give Them The Illusion Of Choice: Children are very malleable when it comes to their minds and you can use this trick to do certain things that make them appear they have some control when they actually may not. For example, if they are unwilling to go to sleep, you can say that you cannot make them sleep, but they have to stay in bed. Your child would then automatically fall asleep after some time due to boredom which would end up serving your purpose.

Use Scolding Or The Parent Card As A Last Resort: If any of the techniques mentioned don t work, then you can scold or warn your kid with consequences which may result in capitulation. For example, if you child is not willing to come back and study, then try and stop them from whatever they were doing and make them sit with their books. This lets them know that certain areas you will absolutely not compromise on and they will understand the limits better.

How To Deal With Stubborn Or Obstinate Children?

A recent study found that about 14.4 million children in India are overweight or obese. This makes childhood obesity one of the leading health concerns for Indian parents. Research states that on average, children and teenagers who spend over seven hours a day browsing the internet or playing games on electronic gadgets are at greater risk of obesity. Smartphone, Tablets, Kindle   these keep your child occupied for quite some time, but too much screen time may infuse unhealthy habits in them, which persist even as they grow up. 

Obesity, Technology and Sedentary Behaviour 

Overexposure to gadgets goes hand-in-hand with reduced physical activity. As children spend most of their leisure time glued to Smartphone watching videos on YouTube, playing games online, they spend little or no time outside playing or running around and burning those excess calories. Over time, they are unable to cope with any outdoor activities/exercise. This eventually leads to significant weight gain.

Increased Snacking

Too much time spent on electronic gadgets may lead to mindless eating and increased snacking. Many times the commercials featured in between videos prompt your child to crave for foods that are low in nutrition, and high in sodium, added sugar and fat. This type of food marketing largely influences children s food preferences and in turn, affects their health.

How Overuse of Gadgets Interfere with Quality of Sleep?

Looking at your Smartphone just before going to bed will likely disrupt the quality of sleep long after you turn them off. Continuous exposure to gadgets not only causes digital fatigue in children but also exposes their eyes to Blue light. This light hampers the creation of  sleep hormone  in the body. As a result, you find it hard to sleep. Children and teenagers who do not get adequate sleep as is required for their age are at higher risk of developing obesity. 

Limit Your Child s Screen Time

Experts suggest adolescents and children spend no more than two hours on Tablets and Smartphone.

  Encourage your children to get off the couch and engage in some sort of exercise/physical activity 

  Focus on providing them with healthy snacks and food that will keep them fuller for a long time. Fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, high-fibre foods should definitely be on the list. Make sure they do not skip breakfast and meals. 

  Ensure that they restrain from using gadgets at least two hours before going to bed. Read them a book instead of handing them Kindle. The ill effects of gadget use should not be overlooked. Childhood obesity can lead to several health complications in adulthood, which is why it is imperative that you take adequate measures to ensure that your child maintains healthy body weight. 

Children Obesity & Gadget Use!

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