Mental health defines our psychological state, social behavior. As Glenn Close once said, “What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and unashamed conversations.” Mental health is one of the less talked about issues. Opening up on emotional upheavals, depression is still considered a taboo. Especially in children, parents find it hard to make the child come out of his/her shell.

Following can be the symptoms:

• Depression
• Anxiety attacks
• ADHD
• Bulimia
• Substance abuse

How to judge the seriousness of the problems? What are the treatment options?

Often, it is hard to identify what a child may be going through. There may be several factors contributing to the child’s traumatic experience. Before taking steps or calling up medical professionals for help, it is extremely important that we identify the problem and then proceed to counter it.

Mild Symptoms:

• If the child shows symptoms but it does not affect his normal activities.
• School, play, relationships, and sleep are not changed.

Treatment: parenting groups or books. Encouraging children to some refreshing activity or even making them read a good fun book may break the ice, pushing the child out of the monotony.

Moderate Symptoms:

• Symptoms keep the child from doing some normal activities. New behaviors mainly occur at home. They affect how the child and parent interact. They may also keep him or her from going to child care or school.
• Your child may not sleep well because of these symptoms.

Treatment: Most often, brief counseling from a mental health provider or your child’s doctor. The conversations eventually help the child to open up on the issues bugging him/her.

• Severe Symptoms: Symptoms keep the child from doing the most normal activities. They affect the way the child acts with parents.

• Symptoms also impact relations with siblings and friends. Adults at child care or school may also be impacted by the child’s actions.

Treatment: These patients often need to be seen urgently by a mental health provider. To curb any unavoidable damage, it is best for the child to be taken under care from a medical professional.

In conclusion, Mental health is not a joke. Children tend to withdraw from the outside world and suffer. It is the responsibility of the parents to identify the initial symptoms. Proper vigilance eliminates subsequent stages of depression, anxiety which could have attacked the child. Proper care, counselling and constant guidance from the near and dear ones can turn things around for the child making him/her feel better.

Disclaimer: This health information is for educational purposes only. You, the reader, assume full responsibility for how you choose to use it. 

Citation/References:

https://phcaaltoona.com/phca-symptom-checker/#!/topic/357/mental-health-problems