Symptoms Of Mental Illness In Children
Identifying mental illness in children can be difficult for parents or those around them. On many occasions, children do not have the ability to express well what is happening to them physically, so even less psychologically.
That is why the role of parents is very important, to monitor the child during the first years of life and learn to identify symptoms of a possible mental illness. Here are some of the symptoms of mental illness in children that may be useful to identify them.
Changes in mood and behavior
Sudden and long-lasting mood swings can be a symptom of mental illness in children. We must be aware that children go from laughing to crying in minutes in a normal way. But these very abrupt mood swings are easily identifiable, especially if they are not produced for some reason that occurred at that time.
In addition to changes in mood, changes in the child’s behavior can also occur. In the same way that the moods do, the behavior changes in a very abrupt way, becoming more violent and with a personality totally driven by anger and anger.
Self harm
Another symptom of mental illness in children is self-harm. This may be the clearest sign that the child is beginning to have problems. Self-injury appears when the minor tends to hit objects or to injure himself or herself.
Sometimes these self-harm also generate thoughts in the child about suicide. It is very important that as soon as any of these symptoms are detected, take the child to the specialist in order to reduce the effects as quickly as possible.
Difficulties at school
Although it is a difficult symptom to identify with a mental illness, since many children have difficulties in school for other reasons, it is important to monitor the child in this area. If it is also identified that the child has trouble concentrating or is easily distracted, you can go, first, to talk to the teachers, as they are in control of the little ones at school.
Another type of symptom linked to the previous two is passivity. Passivity appears if the child is not motivated to do certain essential things, which can lead to depressive thinking.
Isolation
Another symptom of mental illness in children is isolation. If observing the child in various spaces where he is with more children and we see that he does not relate to them, it may be a sign of an autistic disorder. This fact can also be controlled at school by teachers to study the relationships that the child has with his classmates.
Keep in mind that on many occasions children like to play alone. Therefore, asking for the collaboration of the child’s school will help to know if it is an autistic disorder.
Eating disorders
This symptom is very present today in adolescent society. More and more cases of young people with bulimia, anorexia or obesity are heard. These disorders are linked to food. Binge on food and then vomit it or simply eat uncontrollably.
These disorders are linked to the so-called social pressure. The obligation to have a model image, since, if not, they are not accepted in society, generates these types of disorders that are very serious for the adolescent’s health.
Finally, it is very important to note that parents can identify some type of disorder in the child’s psychology, but never start a treatment without the opinion of a professional. If any of these symptoms of mental illness are detected in children during a certain period of time, the first thing to do is go to the doctor for their examination.
