How aware are you about children and psychological disorders? Are you able to pick up the early symptoms if it ever arises? Have you identified the right channels to seek help from?
Children can develop the same mental conditions as adults but the symptoms differ. Plus, while we adults tend to be more aware of our thoughts and behavior, our young ones on the other hand, are still learning their footing when it comes to understanding themselves.
Hence, it is parents who will be able to help them to identify and address the problem if they’re battling a mental health issue. In this post, we would like to bring to light some mental health conditions that children battle with.
A for Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety Disorder is when a child excessively worries about many things including school and the safety of their family members. Feeling anxious from time to time is normal and it helps to build your child’s resilience to stressful situations. However, children with Anxiety Disorder experience a prolonged intense anxiety that it affects your child’s happiness and daily life. Symptoms include trouble sleeping, irritability and excessive worrying for most days of the week.
E for Eating Disorders
Eating Disorders such bulimia, anorexia and binge-eating are not just conditions that are suffered by celebrities. Children too can suffer from an eating disorder and it is a life-threatening condition as it affects a child’s nutritional intake. According to a 2013 research, it found that social and family environment as well as the media were risk factors of eating disorders among children.
M for Mood Disorders
Mood Disorders such as bipolar and depression are common conditions that you hear in adulthood and yes, children too can suffer from it. Mood disorders can cause your child to feel down persistently, severe mood swings, feelings of not wanting to live, change in appetite and hostility. Just like many other mental health conditions, there are many possible causes to mood disorders but what’s most important to note as parents is that, help is available to address this issue.
See also: 3 Golden Keys to Your Child's Happiness
Parents, it is not your fault if your child has been diagnosed with a psychological condition. There are many possible reasons as to how it could have occurred. So, don’t focus on blaming yourself and instead, focus on journeying with your child as you support him or her in the most loving and nonjudgmental way.
Also, never make the mistake of self-diagnosing your child. Instead, seek professional assessment from a medical expert who will then guide you on the steps you should take as every child’s needs are different.
The subconscious effect: Are you negatively affecting your child’s development?
A child’s emotions can be heavily influenced by their parents’. Although your emotions are not always spoken, your little one can still relate to how you feel. Hence, it’s always important to make sure that as parents, you have a healthy mental health too.
It is alright to seek for professional help to address a psychological issue. After all, the well being of you and your child is of utmost importance.
Here, we would like to explain how a psychological disorder can negatively impact your child and why it is important to raise a healthy child as a healthy parent (body, mind and soul).
Under the age of 1
Several medical studies have shown that babies of mothers who are battling from a mental illness are at an increased risk of being born prematurely and with a low weight. Additionally, post-natal depression can negatively impact a child’s intellectual, emotional, psychological and social growth as this disorder can affect a parent-child bond.
During childhood
As a child grows older, it could lead to behavioral issues, a lower standard of living, a constant worry towards their parents’ well being which may lead to fewer opportunities for a child to build friendships and a loss of focus on achieving goals in life. Your child could also become anxious which could negatively impact his or her immunity and so on.
In other words, your state of mental health will impact your child positively or negatively. So, it is always important to keep it in tune, as a priority in your life.
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