In the article, we will talk about what to do if the child has a mental disorder. We learn what types of diseases exist, why they arise precisely in childhood. We will also talk about how to protect children from a particular ailment and carry out prophylaxis.
Children with Mental Disorders
To begin with, there really are certain deviations that manifest themselves precisely in childhood. They do not extend to the further life of a person. Such pathologies most often occur due to a violation of the natural course of development. They are characterized by the fact that they are quite persistent, but there are no fluctuations in the mental state.
There is also no dynamics of the manifestation of certain symptoms. With age, some symptoms may change and reduce, but nevertheless, they will not completely disappear if they are not worked out with a doctor. According to statistics, mental type deviations are most often found among boys.
Childhood autism
This ailment is also called Kanner syndrome. This is a pathology that is very rare, but nonetheless sufficient for this to be a problem. Again, autism is 4 times more common in boys than in girls.
Doctors believe that the first symptoms appear even in infancy, but diagnosing autism in this period of life is very difficult. Most often, pathology is detected at the age of 3 years, when the child learns to form social contacts.
Dynamics and signs of mental disorder in children:
- The child does not show a desire to communicate.
- Behaves emotionally cold and is not able to empathize.
- Having problems expressing her emotions.
- Incorrectly combines gestures, timbre and voice, facial expressions, etc., to express your thoughts.
- It features a specific speech.
- He is inclined to repeat some words, use strange speech turns, speak monotonously or manneredly.
In almost all cases, a child is diagnosed with memory impairment. The desire to remain calm and not to change anything remains stable. Such children do not like when something changes, they do not tolerate it, because it is stress for their psyche.
Pathological manifestations of mental development disorders in children:
- Weak level of mental development.
- The habit of doing everything according to one algorithm, creating your own rituals.
- Propensity for repeated stereotypical actions.
- Dangerous actions that can be directed both at oneself and at others.
The causes of autism are most often a hereditary predisposition. Also, the appearance of this pathology can be affected by the features of intrauterine development. As the child grows, symptoms may gradually disappear. Indeed, in some cases, with age, the child begins to feel better and adapts to the environment.
The treatment of mental illness in children is based on special and separate education from other children, as well as medication.
Hyperkinetic disorder
It is also called attention deficit disorder, which is observed in parallel with the hyperactivity of the child. Such a violation is much more common, in about 9% of children. Signs of mental illness in children:
- Hyperactivity, which can be motor or verbal.
- Impulsive actions, lack of attention.
- Underachievement.
Pathology is distinguished by the fact that children cannot complete a single thing. They have normal mental indicators, but they very quickly lose interest in any tasks. Sometimes prone to conflict. It is very difficult for them to concentrate their attention: they ask a lot of questions, but do not have time to listen to the answer, because they are already interested in others. They can provoke adults to scandals.
The main causes of pathology:
- Genetic predisposition.
- Features of the perinatal period.
- Improper development of parent-child relationships.
It is the latter factor that can exacerbate hyperkinetic disorder. Moreover, if the parents behave correctly, then their communication will allow the child to survive this period and get rid of the disease. Most often, hyperactivity appears at the age of 6-8 years.
Treatment consists in conducting psychological and social events in parallel with taking certain drugs. Nootropic therapy shows excellent results.
Impaired mental function
This ailment is manifested by a slight mental retardation and poor development of cognitive activity. If the child has a mental disorder of this type, then the reasons may be as follows:
- Genetic factor.
- Infection
- Injuries.
- Intoxication of the body.
All this leads to a violation of the pace of development of the child in a mild form.
Among the social factors that may serve as reasons, it is necessary to highlight the lack of education, the lack of information.
Symptoms of a mental disorder in children:
- Inhibited development of psychophysical functions, such as social adaptation, speech, motor skills.
- Emotional immaturity.
- Uneven development of individual psychological functions.
- The reversible nature of pathologies.
Most often, developmental delay can be detected in primary school age, when the child experiences severe difficulties during learning. Mental retardation is often manifested in conjunction with diseases such as hyperactivity syndrome, epilepsy, motor alalia.
As they grow older, the symptoms soften, but not in all cases. For treatment, it is necessary to fix mental abnormalities and work them out separately with a psychologist and teacher.
Landau-Kleffner Syndrome
In a child, a mental disorder of this type is quite rare. It is characterized by the fact that the baby has difficulty with the pronunciation of words, their understanding. It is threatened by loss of speech. Features of pathology:
- Speech disorder at the age of 3-7 years.
- Epileptic seizures.
- Epileptic activity during sleep.
Such a neuropsychiatric disorder in children requires exclusively medical treatment.
Rett syndrome
This is a genetic pathology that occurs only in girls. It is characterized by the fact that over time, the ability to speak is lost and manual skills disappear. In some cases, a delay in physical growth of the head, enuresis, shortness of breath, epileptic seizures are noted.
This is a very dangerous mental disorder. In a child at 2 years of age, it manifests itself in all its glory. The stage of the disease, which is manifested by symptoms of autism, is very characteristic. If left untreated, this can lead to a severe form of disability.
Gilles de la Tourette's Syndrome
The pathology was named after a French scientist who described the syndrome in 9 of his patients. This is a tic pathology, which is accompanied by the following manifestations:
- Emotional instability, which can be manifested by irritability and a sharp decline in mood.
- The child’s impulsive urge to say something indecent or unpleasant.
- An obsessive desire to hurt a loved one.
- Autoaggression.
The cause of this pathology is most often the genetic factor. Treatment consists of psychotherapy, taking antidepressants and antipsychotics. To date, the most effective drug therapy.
Schizophrenia
Mental disorders in preschool children are sometimes difficult to identify, which is why it is very important to regularly visit a psychotherapist’s office or at least a psychologist with a child. On the part of the parents, it is necessary to observe the behavior of the child and note strange moments.
If you pay little attention to the baby during this period and do not notice this or that pathology, then you can greatly disrupt its psychological development.
Often, schizophrenia occurs in children, which is characterized by pathologies of thinking, behavioral reactions, distorted perceptions of the world around us, and emotional disorders. This is a severe mental disorder of children and adolescents, so you should pay attention to the child, even if he has already entered adolescence.
Signs of schizophrenia:
- Children experience a decline in activity, indifference to the world around them and to those types of activity that aroused interest.
- The ability to concentrate attention, make specific judgments is impaired.
- Behavioral deviations, which are manifested by aggressiveness and negativity.
- Auditory hallucinations are possible.
You must understand that in any case, the child is unlikely to talk about the symptoms, especially hallucinations.
Diagnosis occurs after clinical observation and assessment of the condition of the child in stationary conditions. Sometimes it is necessary to carry out differential diagnostics in order to identify mental and behavioral disorders and to choose the right treatment tactics.
The symptomatology of schizophrenia is quite simple, because it is a stereotypical picture. It begins to seem that children live in a monotonous world and use various objects instead of toys: shoes, household items, wire, kitchen appliances. The range of interests is also narrowing noticeably, or they are becoming rather primitive.
The behavior of children with a mental disorder of this type is characterized by a lag in psychological development. But there are exceptions. So, in some children, against the background of schizophrenia, on the contrary, accelerated development is noted. They learn to read, write, memorize texts faster. Such children usually cause surprise and delight. Kids can reason in a very adult way, be interested in adult literature and problems. This indicates the premature development of intelligence. Most often, in childhood, schizophrenia is associated with depersonalization. It is very important to distinguish this pathology from neurosis in order to begin adequate treatment. At the same time, stress and conflicts do not affect the course of the pathology.
Depression
Such mental disorders in preschool children are manifested most often. The child may begin to complain of constant anguish, some fears and problems. In children, depression develops in parallel with impaired appetite, sleep, and constipation.
Symptoms:
- Sluggish movements and too weak speech.
- Noticeable slowness.
- Pain in the body.
- Increased tearfulness.
- Refusal to play and make friends with other children.
- A pronounced sense of worthlessness.
Help for children with this type of mental disorder should come from a professional so as not to aggravate the situation.
Most often, the treatment is medication and mental therapy. It is very important to be present at the doctor’s appointments together with the child in order to see his reaction to certain actions of the doctor. An inexperienced specialist can start the situation and even harm the child.
Neurosis
This mental disorder in children from 4 years old occurs very often, but nevertheless, children's neurosis can occur until the onset of adolescence. It is difficult to diagnose the disease, because the psyche of the child is still very immature.
There is a modest list of symptoms that can be classified as a manifestation of a pathological neurotic reaction. You can notice these incorrect reactions with fear, a strict ban, and punishment of the child. Nevertheless, it is almost impossible to determine the presence of a disease such as neurasthenia or hysteria in childhood with high accuracy. This is due to the fact that the earlier a child shows a pathology, the weaker its dynamics become.
In a child, a mental disorder is most often manifested by obsessive fears and anxieties:
- Fear of the dark.
- Fear of certain animals.
- Fear of the heroes of films, fairy tales.
- Fear of parting with your loved ones.
- Fear of study, competition.
- Fear of death.
The emergence of certain phobias is greatly influenced by the nature of the child. Most often, disorders occur in children who are characterized by anxiety and suspiciousness, along with a strong impressionability. Also, suggestible children are more prone to neurosis and tend to trust everything that they are told.
Causes
We examined the symptoms of mental disorders in children, talked about treatment and diagnosis. However, one should think about why this or that pathology can occur at such an early age, when a person is still very vulnerable and practically did not encounter the negative aspects of life.
The manifestation of pathology can be associated with a number of factors, among which psychological, biological and sociopsychological are distinguished. However, all of them only provoke an aggravation of the pathology, while the main reason is most often the features of the development of the child and his relationship with his parents.
Possible reasons:
- Genetic predisposition to mental disorders.
- Incompatibility of parents and child by nature and temperament.
- Weak development of intelligence.
- The presence of brain defects that could be caused to the baby at birth.
- Family problems that traumatize the psyche very much.
- Lack of education or its distorted form.
It is for these reasons that mental disorders most often occur in children 3 years old and even earlier. Pathologies in primary school children most often arise due to conflict in the family and divorce of parents. The chance of a neurosis is higher in children who grow up in single-parent families or are subjected to constant stress.
A very large influence on the formation of mental health has a psychological climate in the family. So, a child can live in an incomplete family, but if they love him, give a feeling of joy, give warmth and affection, then it is likely that the psyche of this baby will be strong and stable.
But if a child grows up in a complete family, while constantly observing quarrels, conflicts, violence, then he will suffer from neurosis and experience severe suffering. This is important to understand for the simple reason that very often parents try to save their family at all costs for the health of the child. Perhaps one of them lived with only one parent and understands that it is difficult. But one must understand that it is better to live with one parent in a calm joyful atmosphere than in a complete family, experiencing pain, suffering and loneliness.
Common symptoms
If the child has a mental disorder, then finding it is quite difficult. Firstly, it is necessary to know the symptoms precisely, and secondly, to take into account the accompanying factors and circumstances. Naturally, it is very difficult for parents to connect all this together, so you should not study the symptoms of all mental disorders. It is enough to know the behavioral disorders that are characteristic of a child of a certain age. If you observe them at a given age, then this indicates the presence of deviations. What type of deviation is it, how it is treated and how to diagnose it can be revealed later. The main thing at this stage is to realize that there is a deviation and it requires treatment.
The disorder in children aged 2 years is characterized by passivity. A kid at this age is usually very active, everything is interesting to him. If you notice that your child is insecure, afraid of a lot of things and, in principle, avoids the world around him, then you need to contact a specialist.
At the age of 3 years, disorders can be manifested by moodiness, reluctance to obey adults, increased vulnerability, fatigue, irritability. At this age, it is very important not to suppress the activity of the child, because this can lead to a lack of emotional experience, and this in turn can provoke autism and speech disorder.
At the age of 4 years, disorders are manifested in obstinacy, protest, psychogenic breakdowns. The child has tension, sensitivity to the emotions of others, which can provoke frustration. If you notice that at this age the child begins to react too sharply and aggressively to something, then it is necessary to consult a specialist.
At the age of 5 years, pathologies are manifested by too rapid mental development, compared with peers and the emergence of interests of a particular orientation. Also, the child may lose the skills that he already possessed. , , , , .
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Treatment
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If the child has a mental disorder, then it is worthwhile to prepare for a long treatment. It is very important to contact a child psychiatrist in time so as not to lose precious time. Note that for the treatment of mental disorders, the same medications are used that are used to treat adults. The only difference is that children take smaller doses. In the fight against childhood pathologies, antidepressants, stimulants and mood stabilizers, drugs that reduce anxiety, antipsychotics showed themselves perfectly.
If you have already begun treatment, we recommend that you do not change the specialist, because this can adversely affect the child. If he trusted a person and made contact with him, then he may refuse to go closer with another doctor. This should once again remind you of how important it is to initially choose a good professional.
We do not recommend asking your child about sessions with a doctor. It is better to talk with the specialist himself, because the child may perceive your interest with hostility and close himself from communication.
To summarize, we note that it is very important to observe your child. While he is small, try not to educate him, but just be a detached observer. Then you can better understand it and build a better communication in the future.