Mental Disorders - How To Identify Them In Kids?

Kids go through various stages of their physical and psychological development which in turn affect as well as alter the ways in which they perceive and communicate with the world. Changes in attitudes and conduct are often seen as a passing phase and parents hope that the abnormalities would go away on their own. But what most parents fail to understand is that these small signs can be hiding several serious signs of mental problems.

What are the common signs of mental illnesses?

1. Long lasting mood swings: An alteration in mood swings that have been lingering for over two weeks is regarded as a strong indicator of a severe mental disorder in your child.
2. Excessive level of worries and fears: Worries and fears in kids are rampant in children during their early years. Kids also have a fear of being separated from their parents, and if you find that it is more than normal levels, then it is a reason to worry about.
3. Extreme changes in behaviour: Sometimes kids try to test whether or not they are able to get away with doing something that doesn’t comply with their parents’ wishes. When you notice that your child does this on a regular basis, it is important to seek professional help.
4. Physical changes, including either weight gain or loss: This can be attributed to psychological alterations and requires to be addressed before it is too late.
5. Remarkable lack of focus: If your kid is unable to concentrate on anything for over a month, it is a potential symptom of mental agony.
6. Severe mood swings: Though this is common, it must never be neglected, especially when there is no reduction in its intensity.
7. Loss of appetite: If your child is not eating properly, you must speak with a doctor to find out the root cause of the problem.
8. Self-destructive symptoms: Some kids try to harm themselves, and if this issue is left unaddressed, he or she may try to make an end to life too.
9. Withdrawn: When your child is not taking part in daily activities for many days, you must take him or her to a counsellor.
10. Picking up fights: This is quite common, but that doesn’t imply that you can neglect this sign in any way.

The researchers at the Harvard Medical School have recently found that about half of all the long-term mental illnesses begin by the age of 14 years. The most common mental illnesses in kids include substance use disorders, depression and anxiety, conduct disorder, autism spectrum disorders, disruptive behavioural disorders and oppositional defiant disorder. As a concerned parent, you can easily reduce the severity of the mental illness of your child by being attentive to the common warning signs in your child and seek help from the professional psychologist.