Children are more or less unpredictable even for their parents. Sometimes it seems that the baby is simply uncontrollable and hysterical. However, what was the impetus for this - a disease of the central nervous system of the child, a psychoemotional disorder or just a desire to manipulate?
Illness or character traits?
If the child is very nervous, then this can affect the quality of life of both himself and those around him. This term usually means tearfulness, irritability, trouble sleeping, disobedience, irritability, hysteria. It is very difficult to make contact with nervous children, since such a baby reacts to any comments or suggestions with violent tantrums and protests. Psychological practice shows that most of the problems lie in the incorrect education in early childhood.
Naughty and nervous children are such intertwined concepts that sometimes without the help of qualified specialists it can be difficult to understand the essence of the problem. Among the most common causes of child disobedience are the following:
- The desire to attract attention. This affects children who are in some way deprived of parental warmth and affection. The child notices that during the commission of any negative actions, he receives the missing parental emotions, which he uses in the future.
- The desire to break free of the many restrictions set by parents. This applies to those children who are subject to strict control every day.
- Revenge. Children from a very young age can take revenge, often doing this unknowingly. Such behavior can be a response to the divorce of parents, unfair punishment, failure to fulfill promises.
Only in the last place are the disorders of the child’s nervous system.
Children's neurosis
The psyche of a small child is very fragile and is subject to influence from the outside. Against the background of numerous prohibitions, stressful situations and lack of attention, neuroses can form. This is a neuropsychic disorder characterized by the appearance of unusual psychosomatic and behavioral symptoms. Often, children are nervous precisely because of the occurrence of neurosis.
The peak of the development of a pathological condition is considered the age of 5-6 years, when the child begins to behave inappropriately. In some cases, neuroses appear as early as 2-3 years of age.
Causes of Neurosis
Psychologists identify such prerequisites for the development of a pathological condition:
- situations traumatic to the psyche (alcohol or drug addiction of one of the parents, divorce, corporal punishment of a child, conflicts with peers, adaptation to kindergarten or school);
- severe fright;
- negative atmosphere between parents;
- birth in the family of another child.
Also, a child of 2 years or more can become nervous due to the death of any of his relatives, or to get into a car accident.
Symptoms of Mental Disorder
The following signs can be considered the first signs of disturbances in the work of the child’s nervous system:
- the emergence of fears and anxiety;
- insomnia and spontaneous sleep interruptions in the middle of the night;
- restless state;
- unwillingness to communicate with other children, isolation in oneself;
- coughing that does not go away for a long period of time;
- urinary and fecal incontinence, especially during sleep;
- stuttering;
- the appearance of obsessive movements.
Attentive parents will definitely notice some changes in the behavior of the baby. This may be excessive aggressiveness in relation to other children, as well as to adults, irritability, hyper excitability. All these manifestations give rise to medical attention, as letting the situation go by itself can result in negative consequences in the future for both parents and the child.
Neurosis treatment
Therapy for the pathological state of the nervous system is selected in a comprehensive manner. It is important to undergo a full examination with a psychologist, neurologist and other related specialists. To date, there are such methods for the treatment of neurosis:
- Psychotherapy is aimed at solving social problems, which could cause a neurosis. Sessions can take place both with parents and with the child in private. The psychotherapist uses the following methods for treatment: individual treatment, family session, art therapy, the use of hypnosis, group exercises with children to improve their socialization.
- Drug therapy includes phytopreparations with a calming effect, vitamin complexes, antidepressants, tranquilizers, nootropic medicines. Treatment is selected based on the established severity of the pathological process.
- Folk remedies that are designed to calm the child’s nervous system are infusions of valerian, lemon balm, motherwort.
As an additional therapy, communication with animals - dolphins, horses, dogs can be used.
Nerve tics
Unfortunately, psychological problems do not end in neurosis. Doctors note that every nervous child from 3 to 18 years old may be due to ticks. There is evidence that almost every fifth child experienced such phenomena. For convenience, experts divided the types of nervous tics into 3 groups:
- Motor - biting the lips, grimacing, involuntary twitching of the head or limbs.
- Vocal - the child makes atypical sounds (coughing, howling, sniffling, grunting).
- Ritual - actions consist in scratching the head, twitching hair, clenching the jaws.
In terms of severity, local (one muscle group is involved) and mixed (nerve tics of several types at once) are found.
Causes of Nerve Ticks
Specialists distinguish between primary and secondary pathological conditions. The first group is associated with such factors:
- deficiency in the body of such important trace elements as magnesium and calcium;
- emotional upheaval - stressful situations, severe punishments from parents, fear, lack of love and affection;
- loads on the central nervous system, which arise due to the use of large amounts of tea, coffee, energy drinks. Most often, adolescents from 12 to 18 years of age suffer from this;
- overwork on the background of large training loads, prolonged use of a computer, watching TV;
- adverse heredity.
Secondary neural tics can develop amid serious illnesses such as:
- Tourette's syndrome;
- encephalitis;
- traumatic brain injuries of both closed (concussion) and open type;
- a brain tumor;
- congenital diseases of the nervous system.
Most often, nervous tics occur during the wakefulness of the child, while sleep can be called relatively calm.
Therapy for neural tics
The condition requires medical attention in the following cases:
- a nervous tic did not pass on its own within a month;
- pathology causes the baby any inconvenience;
- severe severity of symptoms or a combination of several types of tics.
In most cases, the treatment of neural tics in children can be easily treated if their causes were related to psychosomatics. In more severe cases, the problem may remain forever.
Therapy for psychological type of nervous tics is prescribed similar to the treatment of neurosis. It is necessary to choose a complex of sedative medicines, as well as conduct several sessions with a qualified psychotherapist. In some cases, a folk remedy in the form of sedative tinctures of valerian, lemon balm, motherwort or aromatherapy through baths with lavender, peppermint essential oils is sufficient.
The treatment of secondary tics, which resulted in injuries or illnesses, should be started only under the supervision of a doctor who will identify the true diagnosis and prescribe competent therapy.
Rules of conduct for parents
Nervous children are most often due to the fault of their own mothers and fathers. Psychologists advise that in order to get rid of problems it is necessary not only to show the baby to a specialist, but also to revise their own model of behavior:
- It is important to smooth out the conflicts that arise during the upbringing.
- Do not demand from the child the same love for all relatives. Frequently asked questions about whom the baby loves more can cause nervousness.
- When divorcing, you should create the most comfortable conditions for the baby, in which he will not feel guilty or deprived.
- We should not indulge all the whims, otherwise the child will use manipulation as the only model of behavior in attempts to achieve his goal.
- The punishments for the child should be reviewed and perhaps mitigated if they were too strict. Punishment should also be carried out in private with the child, without prying eyes.
- The child's psyche needs to be prepared in advance for the appearance of another family member. The kid must understand that with the birth of a brother or sister, he will not be less in love.
- In communication you need to try to be equal with children. No need to try to humiliate or insult them.
- It should take into account the mental and physical capabilities of the child and not require him to perform impossible actions.
In addition, it is important not to show your own negative emotions when children, as kids can adopt this model of behavior.
Daily routine and nutrition
A nervous child 3 years or more should have a special circadian rhythm. Psychologists give several important recommendations on this subject:
- during classes that require mental activity, it is necessary to take breaks of 15 minutes every 20 minutes;
- nutrition should be as balanced as possible to fill the shortage of vitamins and minerals;
- drinks such as cocoa, coffee, strong tea should be excluded from the diet - they excite the nervous system.
It is necessary to devote a lot of time to physiotherapy, such as hardening. However, this should be done under the supervision of a pediatric pediatrician.
Age features
Treatment of a nervous child is not always necessary, as these may be developmental features:
- Up to 3 years of age, nervousness is caused by congenital behavior. The situation may be aggravated by the birth of a subsequent child if the eldest is not yet 3 years old.
- From 3 to 4 years old, children begin to be interested in the world around them, and if the baby receives only the ultimatum attitudes “can” and “not” without explanation, this can cause aggression.
- From 5 to 7 years, it is necessary to stimulate the child’s zeal for cognition, but one cannot force him to anything.
- From 8 to 10 years, consciousness is formed as a part of society, therefore negative behavior can be the result of incorrectly chosen ideals based on school influence.
- From 10 to 16 years of age, hormonal changes are observed, which in behavior are expressed as protest and a desire to stand out. During this period, it is especially necessary to smooth out conflict situations.
Parents should "grow" with their own child, take into account its characteristics and communicate with them on equal terms from childhood. Only in this way can you maintain a trusting relationship and calm in the family.
Useful Tips
A nervous child can bring a lot of trouble a year and later, so it’s sometimes easier to prevent the development of mental disorders than to treat them. Psychologists give several recommendations on this subject:
- regardless of the situation, it is necessary to remain calm, as the nervousness of the mother is transmitted to the child, especially for young children;
- it is important to teach a son or daughter to apologize for misconduct, but it is also important to ask for forgiveness from the baby;
- to bring up calm offspring, be patient;
- you need to set a positive example with your own actions;
- the interests of the child should not be placed above all else;
- It is important to give the baby the right to choose.
In addition, children of all ages are in dire need of the care and love of their parents.
Conclusion
Nervousness of children is most often associated with errors in their upbringing or external factors. Such situations are easy to correct only by adjusting your own behavior towards the baby. However, in identifying serious mental pathologies, one should not ignore their treatment, as this may turn into serious problems in the future.