Mental disorders in children and adolescents

Mental disorders in children are not uncommon. After all, the nervous system of a child is especially vulnerable. Often parents, having noticed strange behavior in their children, put off a visit to a psychiatrist. They fear registration of the child. As a result, the disease is neglected, and signs of mental deviations persist in adulthood. How to recognize such violations? And how to distinguish them from children's vagaries and lack of education? We will answer these questions in the article.

Causes

The occurrence of mental health disorders in children and adolescents can be triggered by the following reasons:

1. Hereditary predisposition. If parents or close relatives have mental illnesses, then the disease can be transmitted to children. This does not mean that the child will necessarily suffer from mental pathologies, but such a risk does exist.
2. Head injuries. Brain damage due to bruising or stroke can have long-term effects. Often, mental disorders in children occur years after the trauma.
3. Infections. Children who have had meningitis often suffer from mental disorders. In the state of the child’s nervous system, infections transmitted by the mother during pregnancy can also be affected.
4. Bad habits in parents. If the mother drank or smoked during pregnancy, this can extremely negatively affect the development of the central nervous system of the fetus. Mental disorders can occur only in older preschool or school age. The lifestyle of the future father is of great importance. If a man suffers from alcoholism, then the risk of conceiving a sick child is great.
5. Unhealthy family environment. If the mother and father often quarrel with the child, then the baby experiences severe stress. Against the background of constant emotional stress in children, deviations in the psyche appear. There is anxiety, nervousness, tearfulness or excessive isolation. This is a striking example of how parents provoke mental disorders in children.
6. Improper upbringing. The cause of the development of pathology can be excessive rigor, frequent criticism of the child or adolescent, as well as hyperprotection or lack of proper attention from the parents.

The above reasons do not always lead to the development of pathology. Usually, mental disorders develop under the influence of several factors. For example, if a child has an unfavorable heredity, and at the same time suffers from frequent stresses or has suffered a head injury, then the risk of psychopathologies increases significantly.

Mental development of children

The development of the psyche of the child can be divided into several periods:

• infancy (up to 1 year);
• early childhood (from 1 year to 3 years);
• preschool age (3-7 years);
• primary school age (7-11 years);
• puberty (11-15 years);
• youth (15-17 years old).

Mental disorders in children most often occur during the transition from one stage of development to another. During these periods, the child’s nervous system becomes especially vulnerable.

Features of mental disorders at different ages

The peak of mental disorders occurs in the age periods of 3-4 years, 5-7 years and 13-17 years. Many psychopathologies that are observed in adults begin to form even when the patient was a teenager or child.

Mental disorders in young children (up to 1 year old) are extremely rare. The baby needs to have his natural needs (for food, sleep) satisfied. At this age, the regimen and proper care for the baby are very important. If the physiological needs of the baby are not met on time, then this causes severe stress. In the future, this may provoke the development of pathologies of the psyche.

Mental disorders in children at 2 years old can be caused by excessive parental care. Many mothers continue to treat a grown child as a baby. This inhibits the development of the baby and forms excessive passivity and timidity. In the future, these qualities may lead to neurotic disorders. This is another example of how parents provoke mental disorders in children.

After 3 years, children become very active and mobile. They can be capricious, stubborn, be naughty. It is necessary to respond correctly to such manifestations and not suppress the mobility of the child. Toddlers of this age are in great need of emotional contact with adults. Mental disorders in children 3 years old are most often triggered by a lack of attention from parents. Lack of communication can lead to speech delay, as well as autism.

At 4 years of age, children may experience the first neurotic manifestations. Children of this age painfully react to any negative events. Neurosis can be expressed in disobedience, such children often do everything contrary to the requirements of their parents.

Mental disorders in children of 5 years are often expressed in excessive isolation. With adverse heredity, it is at this age that the first signs of childhood schizophrenia can be detected. The child becomes untidy, loses interest in games, his vocabulary is deteriorating. These are quite dangerous symptoms of mental disorders in preschool children. Without treatment, such pathologies are steadily progressing.

In school-age children, psychogenic disorders are most often associated with learning. This can be caused by learning difficulties. If parents make unreasonably high demands, and learning is difficult for their child, then this leads to severe stress. Such children often suffer from neurosis. Due to the fear of getting a low grade, a child may be afraid to attend school, refuse to eat, and sleep poorly.

In adolescence and youth, mental disorders are not uncommon. In the puberty, there is an emotional instability associated with hormonal changes in the body. Children often change their mood, they are extremely sensitive to the words of others, but at the same time they can be arrogant and too self-confident. Against the backdrop of an unstable emotional state, adolescents may experience mental disorders. During this period, parents need to be especially attentive to the mental state of the child.

When to see a doctor

How to distinguish manifestations of mental disorders in children and adolescents from character traits? Indeed, parents often take the initial signs of pathology for poor behavior. The following symptoms should alert:

1. Cruel behavior. If a preschool child torments animals, then most often he does not understand what hurts a living creature. In this case, you can limit yourself to educational methods. However, if such a behavior is regularly observed in a student, then this is an abnormal phenomenon. Often these children are cruel not only to others, but also to themselves. A sign of mental illness in school-age children is the desire to inflict damage on themselves.
2. Constant refusal of food. This symptom is usually observed in girls aged 12-17 years. The teenager is unhappy with his figure and unreasonably believes that he is overweight. This may be due to low self-esteem or careless words of others. The girl intentionally starves or sits on excessively strict diets. This can result in severe exhaustion.
3. Panic. Children have strange phobias. A sense of fear is characteristic of every person, but in this case it is not justified by anything. If the child is afraid of heights, standing on the balcony, then this does not mean pathology. Such a phobia can be dealt with by psychological methods. But if this fear manifests itself when a child is in an apartment on a high floor, then this is already an abnormal phenomenon. Such panic attacks make life difficult for children.
4. Depression. Any child may be in a bad mood due to external circumstances. But if depression occurs for no reason and lasts more than 2 weeks, then parents should be wary. It is urgent to show the child to a psychiatrist. Prolonged depression often causes suicide in adolescents.
5. Mood swings. Normally, the mood of the child may vary depending on the circumstances. However, some children have bouts of rampant fun, which are quickly replaced by periods of intense sadness and tearfulness. At the same time, mood swings are not associated with any external causes; they occur spontaneously and suddenly. This is a sign of pathology.
6. A sharp change in behavior. Such a symptom most often manifests itself in the puberty. A previously calm and friendly teenager may show causeless aggression. Or a talkative and sociable child closes in on himself and is constantly silent. Parents often attribute such changes to the difficulties of adolescence, but this may be a sign of pathology.
7. Hyperactivity. Many children are very mobile. However, there are times when a child is excessively restless, his attention constantly switches from one object to another. He cannot be engaged in the same type of activity for a long time and quickly gets tired even of outdoor games. Such children always have great learning difficulties due to restlessness.

If the child has the above features of behavior, then it is urgent to contact a child psychiatrist. Such manifestations cannot be corrected by educational methods. These are signs of a developing pathology, which without treatment will progress and lead to negative personality changes.

Types of Mental Disorders

What types of mental health disorders are most common in children and adolescents? A child can suffer the same pathologies as adults, for example, schizophrenia, neurosis, eating disorders (anorexia or bulimia). However, there are disorders characteristic specifically for childhood and adolescence. These include:

• mental retardation;
• impaired mental function;
• autism;
• ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder);
• mixed disorders of school skills.

Next, we will consider in detail the symptoms and characteristics of mental disorders in children, depending on the type of pathology.

Mental retardation (oligophrenia)

With severe and moderate degrees of mental retardation, signs of mental disorder in children are noticeable in the first years of life. A mild degree of oligophrenia can occur only in primary school age. Symptoms of this pathology are as follows:

• bad memory;
• cognitive decline;
• fuzzy speech;
• meager vocabulary;
• low attentiveness;
• inability to think through the consequences of their actions;
• weak emotional development.

Education of children with mental disorders of this type is carried out in special schools according to a special program or at home. Also, the child needs the supervision of a child psychiatrist. This violation cannot be cured or completely corrected. With a mild degree of oligophrenia, the child can be taught self-care skills and develop the ability to communicate with others. With severe mental retardation, the patient needs outside care.

Impaired mental function

This pathology refers to borderline mental disorders. The child has no obvious signs of mental retardation, but his development is still below the age norm. Doctors also call this deviation psychic infantilism.

A symptom of mental disorder in preschool children is a delay in the development of speech, motor skills and emotions. This indicates a developmental delay. The child begins to walk and talk late, with difficulty learning new skills.

Children with borderline mental disorders of this type need developmental activities. If you give the child proper attention, then as they grow older, the signs of pathology disappear. However, in some children, some manifestations of mental infantilism persist in adolescence and youth.

Mixed Disorders of School Skills

Often a child has a normal intellect, but at the same time he is not able to master the skills of writing, counting and reading. This creates great difficulties when studying in a regular school. In such cases, doctors talk about mixed mental disorder in children.

During the diagnosis, the child does not reveal any neurological disorders or mental retardation. Memory and cognitive abilities remain within normal limits. Such a pathology is associated with the slow maturation of certain brain structures responsible for the ability to master school skills.

Children with such disorders need special education in sanatorium schools or at home. They are encouraged to study on an individual program. It is impossible to cure such a disorder with medical methods. This disorder can only be corrected by pedagogical methods.

Autism

This mental disorder is innate. The child has broken contact with others and lacks social skills. Autists have difficulty mastering speech and do not seek communication. They are completely immersed in their inner world.

Stereotypic actions are also characteristic of this pathology. The child can spend hours laying out the blocks in a certain order and at the same time not show interest in any other activities.

A healthy child usually learns various skills in adults. It is difficult for an autist to receive information from the outside world due to poor communication with other people. In addition, children with autism very painfully endure any changes, because of this it is difficult for them to learn anything new.

Autism cannot be cured. However, this violation is subject to partial correction. With the help of medical and pedagogical methods, a child can develop speech and communication skills.

ADHD

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is most often observed in children 6-12 years old. This pathology is characterized by the following manifestations:

• restlessness;
• difficulty concentrating;
• increased distractibility;
• high mobility;
• incontinence;
• impulsiveness;
• excessive talkativeness.

Hyperactive children have normal intelligence. But due to restlessness and carelessness, as a rule, they study poorly. If this pathology is not treated in childhood, then some signs of ADHD may persist into adulthood. Mature people with hyperactivity are prone to bad habits and conflicts with others.

Eating disorders

Eating disorders are most commonly affected by adolescents. These psychopathologies are divided into 2 types:

• anorexia;
• bulimia.

With anorexia, the child constantly seems to be overweight, even if his body weight is within normal limits. Such adolescents are extremely critical of their appearance. Because of the desire to lose weight, children completely refuse to eat or follow excessively strict diets. This leads to a drop in weight to a critical level and serious physical health problems.

With bulimia, a child has a pathologically increased appetite. A teenager swallows a huge amount of food in large portions. Overeating often occurs after stressful situations. At the same time, the child eats very quickly, practically without chewing food. The consequence of this pathology can be obesity and diseases of the digestive tract.

Childhood schizophrenia

In childhood, schizophrenia is quite rare. A major role in the occurrence of this pathology is played by the hereditary factor. Therefore, parents should carefully look at the behavior of the child if there are cases of schizophrenia among his immediate family. This disease in children is more often manifested in preschool and adolescence. The following symptoms should alert:

• isolation;
• lack of will and apathy;
• untidiness;
• loss of interest in past hobbies;
• illogical statements;
• sudden aggressiveness;
• freezing in strange uncomfortable poses;
• rave;
• hallucinations.

If the child constantly has the above symptoms, then you need to visit a child psychiatrist. Schizophrenia cannot be cured completely, but it is possible to maintain a patient in remission for a long time. Without therapy, this pathology progresses steadily and can lead to disability.

Treatment

The choice of treatment for psychogenic pathologies in children depends on the type of disease. In some cases, the problem can be dealt with quickly. In chronic pathologies, it may take a long, and sometimes life-long administration of drugs. The following methods of therapy are used:

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