Common Mental Health Problems in Children

Physical health problems like fever are easily recognizable. But when it comes to mental health problems, parents usually could not easily identify the problem but they can learn to recognize the symptoms. Thus, parents need to pay more attention if their children are showing signs of excessive anger, fear, sadness or anxiety.

A common mental health problem that children can experience is depression. It is a serious medical illness that involves the brain. It is not just a feeling of being sad. But people who have depression will have it all their lives. It is persistent and it can interfere with everyday life. So how can parents know if their child has depression? Signs of depression are sadness, loss of interest or pleasure in activities the child used to enjoy, change in weight, difficulty sleeping or oversleeping, energy loss, feelings of worthlessness, and worst, thoughts of death or suicide.

Parents with depression should also be more observant of their children's feelings. Because depression can run in the family and this can usually start between the ages of 15 and 30. This is also more common in women.

Another mental health problem is fear and anxiety. Children may feel anxious before a test or to walk down a dark street. But this is a useful form of anxiety. This can make your children become more alert or careful. This also does not last long and will often end as soon as they are out of the situation that causes anxiety. But there are also anxieties that do not go away and gets worse over time. Children with anxiety have chest pains or nightmares. They may even be afraid to leave home. There are different types of anxiety disorder: panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, phobias and generalized anxiety disorder.

A third common mental health problem is behavior disorders. It is natural that kids misbehave sometimes, but this kind of disorder is more than just doing mischief and rebellion. Kids with behavior disorder will have a pattern of hostile, aggressive or disruptive behaviors for more than 6 months. Signs that parents should pay attention to are harming or threatening themselves, or other people or pets; damaging or destroying property; lying or stealing; not doing well in school, skipping school; early smoking, drinking or drug use; early sexual activity; frequent tantrums or arguments; and consistent hostility towards authority figures.

Another problem is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD. Signs of ADHD are inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. This behavior can last more than six months and causes problems at school, at home and in social situations. This is also more common in boys than in girls.

These behaviors can have a great effect to the lives of children and the people around them. These behaviors can disrupt daily life at home, at school or in the community. Parents who have children with signs of mental health problem should get them checked by a professional to stop the problem from getting worse.