Psycho-emotional disorder symptoms in children. Mental development of children

The concept of a mental disorder in children can be quite difficult to explain, not to say that it needs to be defined, especially on your own. The knowledge of parents, as a rule, is not enough for this. As a result, many children who could benefit from treatment do not receive the care they need. This article will help parents learn to recognize the warning signs of mental illness in children and highlight some of the options for help.

Why is it difficult for parents to determine the state of mind of their child?

Unfortunately, many adults are unaware of the signs and symptoms of mental illness in children. Even if parents know the basic principles of recognizing major mental disorders, they often find it difficult to distinguish between mild signs of abnormality and normal behavior in children. And a child sometimes lacks the vocabulary or intellectual baggage to explain their problems verbally.

Concerns about stereotypes associated with mental illness, the cost of using certain medications, and the logistical complexity of possible treatment often delay therapy or force parents to attribute their child's condition to some simple and temporary phenomenon. However, a psychopathological disorder that begins its development will not be able to restrain anything, except for the correct, and most importantly, timely treatment.

The concept of mental disorder, its manifestation in children

Children may suffer from the same mental illnesses as adults, but they manifest them in different ways. For example, depressed children often show more signs of irritability than adults, who tend to be more sad.

Children most often suffer from a number of diseases, including acute or chronic mental disorders:

Children suffering from anxiety disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, social phobia and generalized anxiety disorder show vivid signs of anxiety, which is a constant problem that interferes with their daily activities.

Sometimes anxiety is a traditional part of every child's experience, often moving from one developmental stage to another. However, when stress takes an active position, it becomes difficult for the child. It is in such cases that symptomatic treatment is indicated.

Attention deficit or hyperactivity.

This disorder typically includes three categories of symptoms: difficulty concentrating, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior. Some children with this pathology have symptoms of all categories, while others may have only one symptom.

This pathology is a serious developmental disorder that manifests itself in early childhood - usually before the age of 3 years. Although the symptoms and their severity are prone to variability, the disorder always affects the child's ability to communicate and interact with others.

Eating disorders - such as anorexia, bulimia and gluttony - are serious enough diseases that threaten the life of a child. Children can become so preoccupied with food and their own weight that it prevents them from focusing on something else.

Mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder can lead to stabilizing persistent feelings of sadness or mood swings far more severe than the normal volatility common to many people.

This chronic mental illness causes the child to lose touch with reality. Schizophrenia often appears in late adolescence, from about 20 years of age.

Depending on the condition of the child, illnesses can be classified as temporary or permanent mental disorders.

The main signs of mental illness in children

Some markers that a child may have mental health problems are:

Mood changes. Look out for dominant signs of sadness or longing that last at least two weeks, or severe mood swings that cause relationship problems at home or school.

Too strong emotions. Sharp emotions of overwhelming fear for no reason, sometimes combined with tachycardia or rapid breathing, are a serious reason to pay attention to your child.

Uncharacteristic behavior. This may include abrupt changes in behavior or self-esteem, as well as dangerous or out of control actions. Frequent fights with the use of third-party objects, a strong desire to harm others, are also warning signs.

Difficulty of concentration. A characteristic manifestation of such signs is very clearly visible at the time of preparing homework. It is also worth paying attention to teachers' complaints and current school performance.

Unexplained weight loss. Sudden loss of appetite, frequent vomiting, or use of laxatives may indicate an eating disorder;

physical symptoms. Compared to adults, children with mental health problems may often complain of headaches and stomachaches rather than sadness or anxiety.

Physical damage. Sometimes a mental health condition leads to self-injury, also called self-harm. Children often choose far inhumane ways for these purposes - they often cut themselves or set themselves on fire. These children also often develop suicidal thoughts and attempts to actually commit suicide.

Substance abuse. Some children use drugs or alcohol to try to cope with their feelings.

Actions of parents in case of suspected mental disorders in a child

If parents are truly concerned about their child's mental health, they should see a specialist as soon as possible.

The physician should describe the present behavior in detail, emphasizing the most striking inconsistencies with the earlier period. For more information, it is recommended that you talk to school teachers, the form teacher, close friends or other people who spend some time with your child for a long time before visiting the doctor. As a rule, this approach helps a lot to decide and discover something new, something that the child will never show at home. It must be remembered that there should not be any secrets from the doctor. And yet - there is no panacea in the form of pills for mental disorders.

General actions of specialists

Mental health in children is diagnosed and treated on the basis of signs and symptoms, taking into account the impact of psychological or mental disorders on the child's daily life. This approach also allows you to determine the types of mental disorders of the child. There are no simple, unique, or 100% guaranteed positive tests. In order to make a diagnosis, the physician may recommend the presence of allied professionals, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, psychiatric nurse, mental health educator, or behavioral therapist.

The doctor or other professionals will work with the child, usually on an individual basis, to determine first whether or not the child actually has an abnormal mental health condition based on the diagnostic criteria. For comparison, a special database of children's psychological and mental symptoms, which are used by specialists around the world, is used.

In addition, the doctor or other mental health care provider will look for other possible explanations for the child's behavior, such as a history of previous illness or injury, including family history.

It is worth noting that diagnosing childhood mental disorders can be quite difficult, since it can be a serious problem for children to express their emotions and feelings correctly. Moreover, this quality always fluctuates from child to child - there are no identical children in this regard. Despite these problems, an accurate diagnosis is an essential part of correct, effective treatment.

General therapeutic approaches

Common treatment options for children who have mental health problems include:

Psychotherapy, also known as "talk therapy" or behavior therapy, is a treatment for many mental health problems. Speaking with a psychologist, while showing emotions and feelings, the child allows you to look into the very depths of his experiences. During psychotherapy, children themselves learn a lot about their condition, mood, feelings, thoughts and behavior. Psychotherapy can help a child learn to respond to difficult situations while healthyly overcoming problematic barriers.

In the process of searching for problems and their solutions, the specialists themselves will offer the necessary and most effective treatment option. In some cases, psychotherapy sessions will be quite enough, in others, medications will be indispensable.

It should be noted that acute mental disorders are always stopped easier than chronic ones.

Help from parents

At such moments, the child needs the support of the parents more than ever. Children with mental health diagnoses, in fact, like their parents, usually experience feelings of helplessness, anger and frustration. Ask your child's primary care physician for advice on how to change the way you interact with your son or daughter and how to deal with difficult behavior.

Look for ways to relax and have fun with your child. Praise his strengths and abilities. Explore new stress management techniques that can help you understand how to calmly respond to stressful situations.

Family counseling or support groups can be a great help in treating childhood psychiatric disorders. This approach is very important for parents and children. This will help you understand your child's illness, how they feel, and what can be done together to provide the best possible care and support.

To help your child succeed in school, keep your child's teachers and school administrators informed about your child's mental health. Unfortunately, in some cases, it may be necessary to change the educational institution to a school whose curriculum is designed for children with mental problems.

If you're concerned about your child's mental health, seek professional advice. Nobody can make the decision for you. Do not avoid help because of your shame or fear. With the right support, you can learn the truth about whether your child has a disability and be able to explore treatment options, thereby ensuring that your child continues to have a decent quality of life.

Mental disorder in children

Mental disorder is not a disease, but a designation of their group. Violations are characterized by destructive changes in the psycho-emotional state and behavior of a person. The patient is not able to adapt to daily conditions, cope with everyday problems, professional tasks or interpersonal relationships.

Both psychological, and biological, and sociopsychological factors are on the list of what can be a mental disorder at an early age. And how the disease manifests itself directly depends on its nature and the degree of exposure to the stimulus. A mental disorder in a minor patient can cause a genetic predisposition.

Doctors often define the disorder as a consequence of:

• intellectual limitations,
• brain damage,
• problems within the family
• regular conflicts with relatives and peers.

Emotional trauma can lead to serious mental disorder. For example, there is a deterioration in the psycho-emotional state of a child as a result of an event that caused a shock.

Juvenile patients are subject to the same mental disorders as adults. However, diseases usually manifest themselves in different ways. So, in adults, the most common manifestation of a violation is a state of sadness, depression. Children, in turn, often show the first signs of aggression, irritability.

How the disease begins and progresses in a child depends on the type of acute or chronic disorder:

• Hyperactivity is the main symptom of Attention Deficit Disorder. Violation can be identified by three key symptoms: inability to concentrate, excessive activity, including emotional, impulsive, sometimes aggressive behavior.
• The signs and severity of symptoms of autistic psychiatric disorders are variable. However, in all cases, the violation affects the ability of a minor patient to communicate and interact with others.
• The unwillingness of the child to eat, excessive attention to changes in weight indicate eating disorders. They interfere with daily life and harm health.
• If a child is prone to losing touch with reality, memory lapses, inability to navigate in time and space - this may be a symptom of schizophrenia.

It is easier to treat the disease when it is just beginning. And in order to identify the problem in time, it is also important to pay attention to:

• Changes in the child's mood. If children are in a state of sadness or anxiety for a long time, action must be taken.
• Excessive emotionality. Increased acuity of emotion, such as fear, is an alarming symptom. Emotionality without a valid reason can also provoke disturbances in the heart rhythm and breathing.
• Atypical behavioral responses. A signal of a mental disorder may be a desire to harm yourself or others, frequent fights.

Diagnosis of a mental disorder in a child

The basis for the diagnosis is the totality of symptoms and the extent to which the disorder affects the child's daily activities. If necessary, related specialists help to diagnose the disease and its type:

• psychologists,
• social workers,
• behavioral therapist, etc.

Work with a minor patient takes place on an individual basis using an approved database of symptoms. Analyzes are prescribed mainly in the diagnosis of eating disorders. It is mandatory to study the clinical picture, the history of diseases and injuries, including psychological ones, preceding the disorder. Accurate and rigorous methods to determine the mental disorder does not exist.

Complications

The danger of a mental disorder depends on its nature. In most cases, the consequences are expressed in violation of:

• communication skills,
• intellectual activity,
• correct response to situations.

Often mental disorders in children are accompanied by suicidal tendencies.

What can you do

In order to cure a mental disorder in a minor patient, the participation of doctors, parents, and teachers is necessary - all the people with whom the child comes into contact. Depending on the type of disease, it can be treated with psychotherapeutic methods or with the use of drug therapy. The success of treatment depends on the specific diagnosis. Some diseases are incurable.

The task of parents is to consult a doctor in time and give detailed information about the symptoms. It is necessary to describe the most significant discrepancies between the current state and the behavior of the child with the previous ones. The specialist is sure to tell parents what to do with the disorder and how to provide first aid during home treatment if the situation escalates. For the period of therapy, the task of parents is to provide the most comfortable environment and the complete absence of stressful situations.

What does a doctor do

As part of psychotherapy, a psychologist talks with a patient, helping him to independently assess the depth of experiences and understand his condition, behavior, emotions. The goal is to develop the right response to acute situations and freely overcome the problem. Medical treatment includes:

• stimulants
• antidepressants,
• sedatives,
• stabilizing and antipsychotic agents.

Prevention

Psychologists remind parents that the family environment and upbringing are of great importance when it comes to the psychological and nervous stability of children. For example, divorce or regular quarrels between parents can provoke violations. You can prevent mental disorder by providing constant support to the child, allowing him to share experiences without embarrassment and fear.

11 signs of mental illness in children

To help children who have not been diagnosed with a mental disorder, researchers have released a list of 11 warning, easily recognizable signs that can be used by parents and others.

This list is intended to help bridge the gap between the number of children suffering from mental illness and those who actually receive treatment.

Studies have shown that three out of four children with mental health problems, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, eating disorders and bipolar disorder, go unnoticed and not receive proper treatment.

Parents who notice any of the warning signs should see a pediatrician or mental health professional for a psychiatric evaluation. The researchers hope that the proposed list of symptoms help parents distinguish between normal behavior and signs of mental illness.

« Many people cannot be sure if their child has a problem.," states Dr. Peter S. Jensen(Dr. Peter S. Jensen), professor of psychiatry. " If a person has a “yes” or “no” answer, then it is easier for him to make a decision.»

Identifying a mental disorder in adolescence will also allow children to receive treatment earlier, making it more effective. For some children, it can take up to 10 years from when symptoms appear to when they start receiving treatment.

To compile the list, the committee reviewed studies on mental disorders that included more than 6,000 children.

Here are 11 warning signs of mental disorders:

1. Feelings of deep sadness or withdrawal that last more than 2-3 weeks.

2. Serious attempts to harm or kill yourself, or plans to do so.

3. Sudden, all-consuming fear for no reason, sometimes accompanied by a strong heartbeat and rapid breathing.

4. Participation in a lot of fights, including the use of weapons, or the desire to harm someone.

5. Violent, out of control behavior that could harm yourself or others.

6. Refusing food, throwing away food, or using laxatives to lose weight.

7. Strong anxieties and fears that interfere with normal activities.

8. Severe difficulty concentrating or being unable to sit still, which puts you in physical danger or causes you to fail.

9. Repeated use of drugs and alcohol.

10. Severe mood swings that lead to relationship problems.

11. Abrupt changes in behavior or personality

These signs are not a diagnosis, and for an accurate diagnosis, parents should consult a specialist. In addition, the researchers explained that these signs do not necessarily appear in children with mental disorders.

Nervous Disorders in Children: What Parents Should Know



We are accustomed to write off the unusual behavior of a child as whims, poor upbringing or transitional age. But it may not be as harmless as it seems at first glance. This can mask the symptoms of a child's nervous breakdown.

How can neuropsychiatric disorders manifest themselves in children, how to recognize psychological trauma, and what do parents need to pay attention to?

The health of the child is a natural concern of parents, often already from the period of pregnancy. Cough, snot, fever, sore stomach, rash - and we run to the doctor, look for information on the Internet, buy medicines.

But there are also non-obvious symptoms of ill health, to which we are accustomed to turn a blind eye, believing that the child will “outgrow”, “this is all the wrong upbringing”, or “it’s just that he has such a character”.

Usually these symptoms are manifested in behavior. If you notice that the child behaves strangely, this may be one of the symptoms of a nervous breakdown. Doesn't make eye contact, doesn't talk, often has tantrums, cries all the time or is sad, doesn't play with other children, is aggressive at the slightest provocation, hyperexcitable, doesn't hold attention well, ignores the rules of behavior, is shy, too passive, has tics, obsessive movements, stuttering, enuresis, frequent nightmares.

Symptoms of a nervous breakdown in a child

In adolescence, these can be permanently low mood or apathy, sudden mood swings, eating disorders (gluttony, refusal to eat, strange food preferences), intentional self-inflicted injuries (cuts, burns), cruelty and dangerous behavior, poor school performance from For forgetfulness, inability to concentrate, regular use of alcohol and psychoactive drugs.

Also characterized by increased impulsivity and low self-control, increased fatigue over a long period, hatred of oneself and one's body, ideas that others are hostile and aggressive, suicidal moods or attempts, bizarre beliefs, hallucinations (visions, sounds, sensations).

Panic attacks, fears and severe anxiety, excruciating headaches, insomnia, psychosomatic manifestations (ulcers, blood pressure disorders, bronchial asthma, neurodermatitis) can occur.

The list of symptoms of mental and nervous disorders is, of course, wider. It is necessary to pay attention to all unusual, strange and alarming moments in the behavior of the child, given their persistence and duration of manifestation.

Remember: what is normal for one age may be an indication of a problem at another. For example, the lack of speech or the poverty of vocabulary is not typical for children older than 4–5 years.

Stormy tantrums and tears are a way for a 2–3 year old child to test their parents for strength and find out the limits of acceptable, but inappropriate behavior for a student.

Fear of strangers, losing your mother, darkness, death, natural disasters are natural, according to age norms, up to the younger teenage years. Later, phobias may indicate a troubled mental life.

Make sure that you yourself do not require the child to be more mature than he really is. The mental health of preschool children largely depends on their parents.

Carefully observe how the child behaves in different situations and different environments, how he is at home, and how he plays with children on the playground, in kindergarten, if there are problems at school and with friends.

If educators, teachers, other parents complain to you about your child's behavior, do not take it to heart, but specify what exactly worries them, how often it happens, what are the details and circumstances.

Do not think that they want to humiliate or accuse you of something, compare the information and draw your own conclusions. Perhaps a look from the outside will be a necessary hint, and you will be able to help your child in time: visit a psychologist, psychotherapist, psychiatrist, neurologist. Neuropsychiatric disorders in children are treatable, the main thing is not to start the situation.

The stigmatization of mental problems and disorders in our society is still prevalent. This causes additional pain to the people who suffer from them and their relatives. Shame, fear, confusion and anxiety make it difficult to seek help when time passes and problems get worse.

According to statistics in the United States, where psychiatric and psychological care is much better than in Ukraine, an average of 8–10 years elapses between the onset of the first symptoms and seeking help. Whereas about 20% of children have certain mental disorders. Half of them really outgrow them, adapt, compensate.

Causes of nervous breakdown in children

Mental disorders often have a genetic, organic basis, but this is not a sentence. With the help of upbringing in a favorable environment, their manifestations can be avoided or significantly reduced.

Unfortunately, the opposite is also true: violence, traumatic experiences, including sexual, emotional and educational neglect, bullying, dysfunctional or criminal family environments greatly harm the development of children, causing them psychological wounds that do not heal.

The attitude of parents to the child from birth to 3 years, how the pregnancy and the first months after childbirth went, the emotional state of the mother during this period lay the foundations for the mental health of the child.

The most sensitive period: from birth to 1-1.5 years, when the personality of the baby is formed, his further ability to adequately perceive the world around him and adapt flexibly to it.



Serious illnesses of the mother and child, her physical absence, strong emotional experiences and stress, as well as the abandonment of the baby, minimal bodily and emotional contact with him (feeding and changing diapers is not enough for normal development) are risk factors for the appearance of disorders.

What to do if you think that the child behaves strangely? The same as with a temperature: look for a specialist and seek help. Depending on the symptoms, either a neurologist, a psychiatrist, a psychologist or a psychotherapist can help.

Nervous disorders in children: treatment

The doctor will prescribe medications and procedures, the psychologist and psychotherapist, with the help of special classes, exercises, conversations, will teach the child to communicate, control his behavior, express himself in socially acceptable ways, help resolve an internal conflict, get rid of fears and other negative experiences. Sometimes you may need a speech therapist or a correctional teacher.

Not all difficulties require the intervention of doctors. Sometimes a child reacts painfully to sudden changes in the family: divorce of parents, conflicts between them, the birth of a brother or sister, the death of one of the close relatives, the appearance of new partners in the parents, moving, starting to attend a kindergarten or school.

Often the source of problems is the system of relations that has developed in the family and between mother and father, the style of education.

Be prepared that you may need to consult a psychologist yourself. Moreover, there is enough work with adults for the child to calm down and his undesirable manifestations come to naught. Take responsibility. “Do something with him. I can't take it anymore" - this is not the position of an adult.

Preserving the Mental Health of Children: Essential Skills

• empathy - the ability to read and understand the feelings, emotions and state of another person without merging with him, imagining two as a single whole;
• the ability to express in words their feelings, needs, desires;
• the ability to hear and understand another, to conduct a dialogue;
• the ability to establish and maintain the psychological boundaries of the individual;
• the tendency to see the source of control of one's life in oneself without falling into guilt or omnipotence.

Read literature, attend lectures and seminars on parenting, engage in your own development as a person. Apply this knowledge in communication with the child. Feel free to ask for help and advice.

Because the main task of parents is to love the child, accept his imperfections (as well as his own), protect his interests, create favorable conditions for the development of his own individuality, without replacing it with your dreams and ambitions for an ideal child. And then your little sun will grow up healthy and happy, able to love and care.

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Mental illness in children

Signs of neuropsychiatric diseases can go unnoticed for many years. Almost three-quarters of children with serious mental disorders (ADHD, eating disorders and bipolar disorders) are left alone with their problems without help from specialists.

If a neuropsychiatric disorder is identified at a young age, when the disease is at an early stage, treatment will be more effective and efficient. In addition, it will be possible to avoid many complications, for example, the complete collapse of the personality, the ability to think, to perceive reality.

It usually takes about ten years from the moment the first, barely noticeable symptoms appear until the day when the neuropsychiatric disorder manifests itself in full force. But then the treatment will be less effective if this stage of the disorder can be cured at all.

How to determine?

So that parents can independently identify the symptoms of mental disorders and help their child in time, psychiatrists have published a simple test consisting of 11 questions. The test will help you easily recognize warning signs that are common to a wide range of mental disorders. Thus, it is possible to qualitatively reduce the number of suffering children by adding them to the number of children who are already undergoing treatment.

Test "11 signs"

1. Have you noticed in a child a state of deep melancholy, isolation, which lasts more than 2-3 weeks?
2. Has the child exhibited uncontrolled, violent behavior that is dangerous to others?
3. Was there a desire to harm people, participation in fights, perhaps even with the use of weapons?
4. Has the child, adolescent attempted to harm his body or committed suicide, or expressed intentions to do so?
5. Perhaps there were attacks of sudden causeless all-consuming fear, panic, while the heartbeat and breathing quickened?
6. Has the child refused to eat? Perhaps you found laxatives in his things?
7. Does the child have chronic states of anxiety and fear that inhibit normal activity?
8. The child cannot concentrate, is restless, is characterized by school failure?
9. Have you noticed that the child repeatedly used alcohol and drugs?
10. Does the child's mood often change, is it difficult for him to build and maintain normal relationships with others?
11. Did the child's personality and behavior often change, were the changes abrupt and unreasonable?

This technique was created to help parents determine what behavior for a child can be considered normal, and what requires special attention and observation. If most of the symptoms regularly appear in the child's personality, parents are advised to seek a more accurate diagnosis from specialists in the field of psychology and psychiatry.

Mental retardation

Mental retardation is diagnosed from an early age, manifested by the underdevelopment of general mental functions, where thinking defects predominate. Mentally retarded children are distinguished by a low level of intelligence - below 70, they are not socially adapted.

Symptoms of mental retardation (oligophrenia) are characterized by disorders of emotional functions, as well as significant intellectual insufficiency:

impaired or absent cognitive need;

slows down, narrows perception;

having difficulty with active attention;

the child remembers information slowly, unstable;

poor vocabulary: words are used inaccurately, phrases are undeveloped, speech is characterized by an abundance of cliches, agrammatisms, pronunciation defects are noticeable;

moral, aesthetic emotions are poorly developed;

there are no stable motivations;

the child is dependent on external influences, does not know how to control the simplest instinctive needs;

having difficulty predicting the consequences of one's own actions.

Mental retardation occurs due to any damage to the brain during fetal development, during childbirth, or in the first year of life. The main causes of oligophrenia are due to:

genetic pathology - "fragile x-chromosome".

taking alcohol, drugs during pregnancy (fetal alcohol syndrome);

infections (rubella, HIV and others);

physical damage to brain tissue during childbirth;

CNS diseases, brain infections (meningitis, encephalitis, mercury intoxication);

the facts of socio-pedagogical neglect are not a direct cause of oligophrenia, but significantly exacerbate other probable causes.

Can it be cured?

Mental retardation is a pathological condition, the signs of which can be detected many years after exposure to likely damaging factors. Therefore, it is difficult to cure oligophrenia, it is easier to try to prevent pathology.

However the condition of the child can be significantly alleviated by special training and education, to develop in a child with oligophrenia the simplest hygiene and self-service skills, communication and speech skills.

Treatment with drugs is used only in case of complications, such as behavioral disorders.

Impaired mental function

With a delay in mental development (ZPR), the child has a pathologically immature personality, the psyche develops slowly, the cognitive sphere is disturbed, and tendencies of reverse development are manifested. Unlike oligophrenia, where violations of the intellectual sphere predominate, ZPR affects mainly the emotional and volitional sphere.

Mental infantilism

Often children manifest mental infantilism, as one of the forms of mental retardation. The neuropsychic immaturity of an infantile child is expressed by disorders of the emotional and volitional spheres. Children prefer emotional experiences, games, while cognitive interest is reduced. An infantile child is not able to make strong-willed efforts to organize intellectual activity at school, and does not adapt well to school discipline. Other forms of mental retardation are also distinguished: delayed development of reading, writing, reading and counting.

What is the prognosis?

Predicting the effectiveness of the treatment of mental retardation, it is necessary to take into account the causes of violations. For example, signs of mental infantilism can be completely smoothed out by organizing educational and training activities. If the developmental delay is due to a serious organic insufficiency of the central nervous system, the effectiveness of rehabilitation will depend on the degree of damage to the brain by the main defect.

How to help a child?

Comprehensive rehabilitation of children with mental retardation is carried out by several specialists at once: a psychiatrist, a pediatrician and a speech therapist. If a referral to a special rehabilitation institution is necessary, the child is examined by doctors from the medical and pedagogical commission.

Effective treatment of a child with mental retardation begins with daily homework with parents. It is reinforced by visits to specialized speech therapy and groups for children with mental retardation in preschool institutions, where the child is assisted and supported by qualified speech pathologists and teachers.

If by school age the child has not been completely relieved of the symptoms of neuropsychic developmental delay, you can continue your education in special classes, where the school curriculum is adapted to the needs of children with pathologies. The child will be provided with ongoing support, ensuring the normal formation of personality and self-esteem.

attention deficit disorder

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) affects many preschool children, schoolchildren and adolescents. Children are not able to concentrate attention for a long time, they are excessively impulsive, hyperactive, not attentive.

ADD and hyperactivity are diagnosed in a child if:

excessive excitability;

restlessness;

the child is easily distracted;

not able to restrain himself and his emotions;

unable to follow instructions;

distracted attention;

easily jumps from one thing to another;

does not like quiet games, prefers dangerous, mobile affairs;

excessively chatty, in conversation interrupts the interlocutor;

does not know how to listen;

does not know how to keep order, loses things.

Why does ADD develop?

The causes of Attention Deficit Disorder are related to many factors:

the child is genetically predisposed to ADD.

during childbirth there was a brain injury;

The central nervous system is damaged by toxins or a bacterial-viral infection.

Effects

Attention deficit disorder is an intractable pathology, however, using modern methods of education, over time, manifestations of hyperactivity can be significantly reduced.

If the ADD condition is left untreated, the child may have difficulties with learning, self-esteem, adaptation in the social space, and family problems in the future. Adult children with ADD are more likely to experience drug and alcohol addiction, conflicts with the law, antisocial behavior, and divorce.

Types of treatment

The approach to the treatment of attention deficit disorder should be comprehensive and versatile, include the following techniques:

vitamin therapy and antidepressants;

teaching children self-control using various methods;

supportive environment at school and at home;

special strengthening diet.

Children with autism are in a state of constant "extreme" loneliness, they are not able to establish emotional contact with others, they are not socially and communicatively developed.

Autistic children do not look into the eyes, their gaze wanders, as if in an unreal world. There is no expressive facial expressions, speech has no intonation, they practically do not use gestures. It is difficult for a child to express his emotional state, especially to understand the emotions of another person.

How is it manifested?

Children with autism exhibit stereotypical behavior, it is difficult for them to change the environment, living conditions to which they are accustomed. The slightest changes cause panic fear and resistance. Autistic people tend to perform monotonous speech and motor actions: shake their hands, jump, repeat words and sounds. In any activity, a child with autism prefers monotony: he becomes attached and performs monotonous manipulations with certain objects, chooses the same game, topic of conversation, drawing.

Violations of the communicative function of speech are noticeable. It is difficult for autistic people to communicate with others, ask parents for help, however, they are happy to recite their favorite poem, choosing constantly the same work.

In children with autism echolalia observed They constantly repeat the words and phrases they hear. Incorrect use of pronouns may refer to themselves as "he" or "we". autistic never ask questions, and hardly react when others turn to them, that is, they completely avoid communication.

Reasons for development

Scientists have put forward many hypotheses about the causes of autism, identified about 30 factors that can provoke the development of the disease, but none of them is an independent cause of autism in children.

It is known that the development of autism is associated with the formation of a special congenital pathology, which is based on CNS insufficiency. Such a pathology is formed due to genetic predisposition, chromosomal abnormalities, organic disorders of the nervous system during pathological pregnancy or childbirth, against the background of early schizophrenia.

It is very difficult to cure autism, it will require huge efforts on the part of parents, in the first place, as well as the teamwork of many specialists: a psychologist, speech therapist, pediatrician, psychiatrist and speech pathologist.

Specialists face many problems that need to be solved gradually and comprehensively:

correct speech and teach the child to communicate with others;

develop motor skills with the help of special exercises;

using modern teaching methods to overcome intellectual underdevelopment;

solve problems within the family in order to remove all obstacles for the full development of the child;

using special drugs to correct behavioral disorders, personality and other psychopathological symptoms.

Schizophrenia

With schizophrenia, personality changes occur, which are expressed by emotional impoverishment, a decrease in energy potential, a loss of unity of mental functions, and the progression of introversion.

Clinical signs

In preschoolers and schoolchildren, the following signs of schizophrenia are observed:

infants do not respond to wet diapers and hunger, rarely cry, sleep restlessly, often wake up.

at a conscious age, the main manifestation is unreasonable fear, which is replaced by absolute fearlessness, the mood often changes.

states of motor depression and excitation appear: the child freezes for a long time in an absurd pose, practically immobilized, and at times they suddenly begin to run back and forth, jump, and scream.

there are elements of a "pathological game", which is characterized by monotony, monotony and stereotypical behavior.

Students with schizophrenia behave as follows:

suffer from speech disorders, using neologisms and stereotypical phrases, sometimes agrammatism and mutism appear;

even the child's voice changes, becomes "singing", "chanting", "whispering";

thinking is inconsistent, illogical, the child is inclined to philosophize, philosophize on sublime topics about the universe, the meaning of life, the end of the world;

suffers from visual, tactile, occasionally auditory hallucinations of an episodic nature;

somatic disorders of the stomach appear: lack of appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, incontinence of feces and urine.

Schizophrenia in adolescents is manifested by the following symptoms:

at the physical level, headache, fatigue, absent-mindedness appear;

depersonalization and derealization - the child feels that he is changing, he is afraid of himself, walks like a shadow, school performance decreases;

there are crazy ideas, a frequent fantasy of "alien parents", when the patient believes that his parents are not his relatives, it seems to the child that others around him are hostile, aggressive, dismissive;

there are signs of olfactory and auditory hallucinations, obsessive fears and doubts that make the child do illogical actions;

affective disorders appear - fear of death, insanity, insomnia, hallucinations and painful sensations in various organs of the body;

visual hallucinations are especially tormenting, the child sees terrible unrealistic pictures that inspire fear in the patient, pathologically perceives reality, suffers from manic states.

Treatment with drugs

For the treatment of schizophrenia used neuroleptics: haloperidol, chlorazine, stelazine and others. For younger children, weaker antipsychotics are recommended. With sluggish schizophrenia, treatment with sedatives is added to the main therapy: indopan, niamid, etc.

During the period of remission, it is necessary to normalize the home environment, apply educational and educational therapy, psychotherapy, and labor therapy. Supportive treatment with prescribed neuroleptic drugs is also carried out.

Disability

Patients with schizophrenia can completely lose their ability to work, while others retain the opportunity to work and even grow creatively.

Disability is given with ongoing schizophrenia if the patient has a malignant and paranoid form of the disease. Usually, patients are referred to the II group of disability, and if the patient has lost the ability to independently serve himself, then to the I group.

For recurrent schizophrenia, especially during acute attacks, patients are completely unable to work, so they are assigned the II group of disability. During remission, a transfer to group III is possible.

The causes of epilepsy are mainly associated with genetic predisposition and exogenous factors: CNS damage, bacterial and viral infections, complications after vaccination.

Seizure symptoms

Before an attack, the child experiences a special state - an aura, which lasts 1-3 minutes, but is conscious. The condition is characterized by a change in motor restlessness and fading, excessive sweating, hyperemia of the facial muscles. Toddlers rub their eyes with their hands, older children talk about gustatory, auditory, visual or olfactory hallucinations.

After the aura phase, there is a loss of consciousness and an attack of convulsive muscle contractions. During the attack, the tonic phase predominates, the complexion becomes pale, then purplish-cyanotic. The child wheezes, foam appears on the lips, possibly with blood. Pupillary reaction to light is negative. There are cases of involuntary urination and defecation. An epileptic seizure ends with a sleep phase. Waking up, the child feels broken, depressed, his head hurts.

Urgent care

Epileptic seizures are very dangerous for children, there is a threat to life and mental health, so emergency care is urgently needed during seizures.

As an emergency, early therapy measures, anesthesia, and the introduction of muscle relaxants are used. First, you need to remove all squeezing things from the child: a belt, unfasten the collar so that there are no obstacles to the flow of fresh air. Insert a soft barrier between the teeth so that the child does not bite the tongue during a seizure.

Would need enema with a solution of chloral hydrate 2%, as well as an intramuscular injection of magnesium sulfate 25% or diazepam 0.5%. If the attack does not stop after 5-6 minutes, you need to enter a half dose of an anticonvulsant drug.


With a prolonged epileptic seizure, it is prescribed dehydration with a solution of eufillin 2.4%, furomeside, concentrated plasma. Last resort using inhalation anesthesia(nitrogen with oxygen 2 to 1) and emergency measures to restore breathing: intubation, tracheostomy. This is followed by emergency hospitalization in the intensive care unit or neurological hospital.

Neurosis in a child manifests itself in the form of mental discoordination, emotional imbalance, sleep disturbances, symptoms of neurological diseases.

How are

The reasons for the formation of neuroses in children are psychogenic in nature. Perhaps the child had a mental trauma or he was haunted for a long time by failures that provoked a state of severe mental stress.

The development of neurosis is influenced by both mental and physiological factors:

Prolonged mental stress can be expressed in violations of the functions of internal organs and provoke peptic ulcer, bronchial asthma, hypertension, neurodermatitis, which in turn only aggravate the mental state of the child.

Disorders of the autonomic system also occur: blood pressure is disturbed, pains in the heart appear, palpitations, sleep disorders, a headache, fingers tremble, fatigue and discomfort in the body. This condition is quickly fixed and it is difficult for the child to get rid of the feeling of anxiety.

The level of stress resistance of the child significantly affects the formation of neuroses. Emotionally unbalanced children experience petty quarrels with friends and relatives for a long time, so neuroses form more often in such children.

It is known that neurosis in children occurs more often during periods that can be called "extreme" for the child's psyche. So most of the neuroses occur at the age of 3-5 years, when the child's "I" is formed, as well as during puberty - 12-15 years.

Among the most common neurotic disorders in children are: neurasthenia, hysterical arthrosis, obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders mainly affect teenagers, whose self-esteem is severely underestimated due to negative thoughts about their own weight and appearance. As a result, a pathological attitude to nutrition is developed, habits are formed that contradict the normal functioning of the body.

It was believed that anorexia and bulimia were more characteristic of girls, but in practice it turns out that boys suffer from eating disorders with equal frequency.

This type of neuropsychiatric disorders spreads very dynamically, gradually becoming threatening. Moreover, many teenagers successfully hide their problem from their parents for many months, and even years.

Children suffering from anorexia are tormented by constant feelings of shame and fear, illusions about being overweight and a distorted opinion about their own body, size and shape. The desire to lose weight sometimes reaches the point of absurdity, the child brings himself to a state of dystrophy.

Some teenagers use the most severe diets, multi-day fasts, limiting the amount of calories consumed to a deadly low limit. Others, in an effort to lose "extra" pounds, endure excessive physical exertion, bringing their body to a dangerous level of overwork.

Teenagers with bulimia characterized by periodic sudden changes in weight, because they combine periods of gluttony with periods of fasting and purification. Experiencing a constant need to eat whatever they can get their hands on, and at the same time feeling uncomfortable and ashamed of being noticeably rounded, children with bulimia often use laxatives and emetics to cleanse themselves and make up for the calories they eat.
In fact, anorexia and bulimia manifest themselves in almost the same way, with anorexia, the child can also use the methods of artificial cleansing of food that he has just eaten, by artificial vomiting and the use of laxatives. However, children with anorexia are extremely thin, and bulimics are often completely normal or slightly overweight.

Eating disorders are very dangerous for the life and health of the child. Such neuropsychiatric diseases are difficult to control and very difficult to overcome on their own. Therefore, in any case, you will need professional help from a psychologist or psychiatrist.

In order to prevent children who are at risk, you need regular monitoring by a child psychiatrist. Parents should not be afraid of the word "psychiatry". You should not turn a blind eye to deviations in the development of the personality of children, behavioral features, convince yourself that these features “just seem” to you. If something worries you in the behavior of the child, you notice the symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders, do not hesitate to ask a specialist about it.


A consultation with a child psychiatrist does not oblige the parents to immediately refer the child for treatment to the appropriate institutions. However, there are often cases when a planned examination by a psychologist or psychiatrist helps to prevent serious neuropsychiatric pathologies at an older age, providing children with the opportunity to remain full and live a healthy and happy life.

Mental disorders can complicate a person's life even more than obvious physical disabilities. The situation is especially critical when a small child suffers from an invisible illness, who has his whole life ahead of him, and right now there should be rapid development. For this reason, parents should be aware of the topic, closely monitor their children and respond promptly to any suspicious phenomena.

Causes

Childhood mental illness does not arise out of nowhere - there is a clear list of criteria that do not guarantee the development of a disorder, but strongly contribute to it. Individual diseases have their own causes, but this area is more characterized by mixed specific disorders, and this is not about choosing or diagnosing a disease, but about common causes. It is worth considering all possible causes, without dividing by the disorders they cause.

genetic predisposition

This is the only completely unavoidable factor. In this case, the disease is caused initially by improper functioning of the nervous system, and gene disorders, as you know, are not treated - doctors can only muffle the symptoms.

If there are cases of serious mental disorders among close relatives of future parents, it is possible (but not guaranteed) that they will be transmitted to the baby. However, such pathologies can manifest themselves even at preschool age.

Limited mental capacity

Brain damage

Another extremely common cause, which (like gene disorders) interferes with the normal functioning of the brain, but not at the gene level, but at the level visible in an ordinary microscope.

First of all, this includes head injuries received in the first years of life, but some children are not so lucky that they manage to get injured even before birth - or as a result of difficult births.

Violations can also provoke an infection, which is considered more dangerous for the fetus, but can also infect the child.

Bad habits of parents

Usually they point to the mother, but if the father was not healthy due to alcoholism or a strong addiction to smoking, drugs, this could also affect the health of the child.

Experts say that the female body is especially sensitive to the destructive effects of bad habits, so it is generally extremely undesirable for women to drink or smoke, but even a man who wants to conceive a healthy child must first refrain from such methods for several months.

A pregnant woman is strictly forbidden to drink and smoke.

Constant conflicts

When they say that a person is able to go crazy in a difficult psychological environment, this is not at all an artistic exaggeration.

If an adult does not provide a healthy psychological atmosphere, then for a baby who does not yet have a developed nervous system or a correct perception of the world around him, this can be a real blow.

Most often, the cause of pathologies is conflicts in the family, since the child is there most of the time, from there he has nowhere to go. However, in some cases, an unfavorable environment in the circle of peers can also play an important role - in the yard, in kindergarten or school.

In the latter case, the problem can be solved by changing the institution that the child attends, but for this you need to delve into the situation and begin to change it even before the consequences become irreversible.

Types of diseases

Children can get sick with almost all mental illnesses that adults are also susceptible to, but kids have their own (especially children's) diseases. At the same time, the exact diagnosis of a particular disease in childhood is much more complicated. The peculiarities of the development of babies, whose behavior is already very different from that of adults, are affected.

Not in all cases, parents can easily recognize the first signs of problems.

Even doctors usually make a final diagnosis no earlier than the child reaches primary school age, using very vague, too general terms to describe the early disorder.

We will give a generalized list of diseases, the description of which, for this reason, will not be perfectly accurate. In some patients, individual symptoms will not appear, and the very fact of the presence of even two or three signs will not mean a mental disorder. In general, the summary table of childhood mental disorders looks like this.

Mental retardation and developmental delay

The essence of the problem is quite obvious - the child is physically developing normally, but on a mental, intellectual level, it lags far behind its peers. It is possible that he will never reach the level of even an average adult.

The result can be mental infantilism, when an adult behaves literally like a child, moreover, a preschooler or a primary school student. It is much more difficult for such a child to learn, this can be caused by both a bad memory and the inability to focus on a particular subject at will.

The slightest extraneous factor can distract the baby from learning.

attention deficit disorder

Although by name this group of diseases may be perceived as one of the symptoms of the previous group, the nature of the phenomenon here is completely different.

A child with such a syndrome in mental development does not lag behind at all, and hyperactivity typical of him is perceived by most people as a sign of health. However, it is precisely in excessive activity that the root of evil lies, since in this case it has painful features - there is absolutely no activity that the child would love and bring to the end.

It is quite obvious that it is extremely problematic to force such a child to study diligently.

Autism

The concept of autism is extremely broad, but in general it is characterized by a very deep withdrawal into one's own inner world. Many consider autism a form of retardation, but in some forms, the learning potential of such children is not very different from their peers.

The problem lies in the impossibility of normal communication with others. If a healthy child learns absolutely everything from others, then an autistic child receives much less information from the outside world.

Gaining new experience also turns out to be a serious problem, since children with autism perceive any sudden changes extremely negatively.

However, autistic people are even capable of independent mental development, it just happens more slowly - due to the lack of maximum opportunities for acquiring new knowledge.

"Adult" mental disorders

This should include those ailments that are considered relatively common among adults, but in children they are quite rare. A noticeable phenomenon among adolescents are various manic states: megalomania, persecution, and so on.

Childhood schizophrenia affects only one child among fifty thousand, but frightens with the scale of regression in mental and physical development. Because of the pronounced symptoms, Tourette's syndrome has also become known, when the patient regularly uses obscene language (uncontrollably).

What should parents pay attention to?

Psychologists with extensive experience say that absolutely healthy people do not exist. If in most cases minor oddities are perceived as a peculiar, but not particularly disturbing character trait, then in certain situations they can become a clear sign of an impending pathology.

Since the systematization of mental illness in childhood is complicated by the similarity of symptoms in fundamentally different disorders, it is not worth considering disturbing oddities in relation to individual diseases. It is better to present them in the form of a general list of alarming "calls".

It is worth recalling that none of these qualities is a 100% sign of a mental disorder - unless there is a hypertrophied, pathological level of development of the defect.

So, the reason for going to a specialist may be a vivid manifestation of the following qualities in a child.

Increased level of cruelty

Here one should distinguish between childish cruelty caused by a lack of understanding of the degree of discomfort caused, and getting pleasure from purposeful, conscious infliction of pain - not only to others, but also to oneself.

If a kid at the age of about 3 years old pulls a cat by the tail, then he will learn the world in this way, but if at school age he checks her reaction to trying to tear off her paw, then this is clearly not normal.

Cruelty usually expresses an unhealthy atmosphere at home or in the company of friends, but it can either pass by itself (under the influence of external factors) or give irreparable consequences.

Fundamental refusal of food and hypertrophied desire to lose weight

concept anorexia in recent years, it has been heard - it is a consequence of low self-esteem and the desire for an ideal that is so exaggerated that it takes on ugly forms.

Among children suffering from anorexia, almost all are teenage girls, but one should distinguish between normal tracking of one's figure and bringing oneself to exhaustion, since the latter has an extremely negative effect on the functioning of the body.

panic attacks

Fear of something may look generally normal, but have an unreasonably high degree. Relatively speaking: when a person is afraid of heights (falling), standing on the balcony, this is normal, but if he is afraid to be even just in an apartment, on the top floor, this is already a pathology.

Such unreasonable fear not only interferes with normal life in society, but can also lead to more serious consequences, in fact creating a difficult psychological situation where it does not exist.

Severe depression and suicidal tendencies

Sadness is common to people of all ages. If it drags on for a long time (for example, a couple of weeks), the question arises as to the reason.

Children have virtually no reason to be depressed for such a long period, so it can be considered as a separate illness.

The only common reason for childhood depression may be difficult psychological environment however, it is precisely the cause of the development of many mental disorders.

By itself, depression is dangerous prone to self-destruction. Many people think about suicide at least once in their lives, but if this topic takes on the shape of a hobby, there is a risk of attempting to injure oneself.

Sudden mood swings or changes in habitual behavior

The first factor indicates the looseness of the psyche, its inability to resist in response to certain stimuli.

If a person behaves this way in everyday life, then his reaction in an emergency situation may be inadequate. In addition, with constant bouts of aggression, depression or fear, a person is able to torment himself even more, as well as negatively affect the mental health of others.

A strong and abrupt change in behavior, which does not have a specific justification, rather indicates not the appearance of a mental disorder, but an increased likelihood of such an outcome.

In particular, a person who suddenly became silent must have experienced severe stress.

Excessive hyperactivity that interferes with concentration

When a child is very mobile, this does not surprise anyone, but he probably has some kind of occupation to which he is ready to devote a long time. Hyperactivity with signs of a disorder is when a baby cannot even play active games for a long time, and not because he is tired, but simply due to a sharp switch of attention to something else.

It is impossible to influence such a child even by threats, but he is faced with reduced opportunities for learning.

Negative phenomena of a social nature

Excessive conflict (up to regular assault) and a tendency to bad habits in themselves can simply signal the presence of a difficult psychological environment that the child is trying to overcome in such unsightly ways.

However, the roots of the problem may lie elsewhere. For example, constant aggression can be caused not only by the need to defend oneself, but also by the increased cruelty mentioned at the beginning of the list.

Treatment methods

Although mental disorders are clearly a serious problem, most of them can be corrected - up to a full recovery, while a relatively small percentage of them are incurable pathologies. Another thing is that treatment can last for years and almost always requires the maximum involvement of all the people around the child.

The choice of technique strongly depends on the diagnosis, while even very similar diseases in terms of symptoms may require a fundamentally different approach to treatment. That is why it is so important to describe the essence of the problem and the symptoms noticed to the doctor as accurately as possible. In this case, the main emphasis should be placed on the comparison “it was and became”, explain why it seems to you that something went wrong.

Most of the relatively simple diseases are treated by ordinary psychotherapy - and only by it. Most often, it takes the form of personal conversations of the child (if he has already reached a certain age) with the doctor, who in this way gets the most accurate idea of ​​\u200b\u200bunderstanding the essence of the problem by the patient himself.

A specialist can assess the scale of what is happening, find out the reasons. The task of an experienced psychologist in this situation is to show the child the hypertrophy of the cause in his mind, and if the cause is really serious, try to distract the patient from the problem, give him a new stimulus.

At the same time, therapy can take many forms - for example, autistic people who are closed in themselves and schizophrenics are unlikely to support the conversation. They may not make contact with a person at all, but they usually do not refuse close communication with animals, which in the end can increase their sociability, and this is already a sign of improvement.

The use of medicines always accompanied by the same psychotherapy, but already indicates a more complex pathology - or its greater development. Children with impaired communication skills or delayed development are given stimulants to increase their activity, including cognitive activity.

With severe depression, aggression or panic attacks are prescribed antidepressants and sedatives. If the child shows signs of painful mood swings and seizures (up to a tantrum), stabilizing and antipsychotic drugs are used.

Hospital is the most difficult form of intervention, showing the need for constant monitoring (at least during the course). This type of treatment is only used to correct the most severe disorders, such as schizophrenia in children. Ailments of this kind are not treated at once - a small patient will have to go to the hospital repeatedly. If positive changes are noticeable, such courses will become rarer and shorter over time.

Naturally, during treatment, the most favorable environment should be created for the child. a stress-free environment. That is why the fact of the presence of a mental illness should not be hidden - on the contrary, kindergarten teachers or school teachers should know about it in order to properly build the educational process and relationships in the team.

It is absolutely unacceptable to tease or reproach the child with his disorder, and in general you should not mention it - let the baby feel normal.

But love him a little more, and then in time everything will fall into place. Ideally, it is better to respond before any signs appear (by preventive methods).

Achieve a stable positive atmosphere in the family circle and build a trusting relationship with your child so that he can count on your support at any time and is not afraid to talk about any phenomenon that is unpleasant for him.

You can learn more about this topic by watching the video below.

- syndromes characterized by a persistent inability to plan and control behavior, to build it in accordance with social norms and rules. It is manifested by unsociableness, aggressiveness, disobedience, indiscipline, pugnacity, cruelty, severe damage to property, theft, deceit, running away from home. The diagnosis is made by the clinical method, the data are supplemented by the results of psychodiagnostics. Treatment consists of sessions of behavioral, group, family psychotherapy, medication.

The term "conduct disorder" (BD) is used to refer to repetitive behavior patterns that persist for more than 6 months and do not conform to social norms. RP is the most common diagnosis in child psychiatry. Epidemiology among children is about 5%. There is a gender dependence - boys are more prone to behavioral disorders. In children, the ratio is 4:1, in adolescents - 2.5:1. The decrease in the difference as they grow older is explained by the late debut in girls - 12-13 years old. In boys, the peak incidence occurs at 8-9 years of age.

Causes of conduct disorder in children

The development of behavioral disorders is determined by the realization of biological inclinations and the influence of the environment. Studies confirm that the leading role belongs to education, and heredity, psychophysiological characteristics are risk factors. Among the causes of behavioral disorders in children can be identified:

• Physiological processes. An imbalance of hormones, excitation-inhibition processes, metabolic disorders contribute to the development of RP. Epilepsy, cerebral palsy are associated with an increased risk of disobedience, irritability.
• Psychological features. The formation of RP is facilitated by emotional instability, low self-esteem, depressed mood, a distorted perception of causal relationships, manifested by a tendency to blame events, other people for their own failures.
• Family relationships. Behavioral syndromes in a child are formed with pathological styles of education, frequent conflicts between parents. These reasons are most relevant for families where one or both parents suffer from mental illness, lead an immoral lifestyle, are involved in criminal activities, and have pathological addictions (drugs, alcohol). Intra-family relations are characterized by hostility, coldness, severe discipline or its complete absence, lack of love, participation.
• Social interactions. The prevalence of behavioral disorders is higher in kindergartens, schools with poor organization of the educational process, low moral principles of teachers, high staff turnover, hostile relations between classmates (classmates). The broader influences of society are relations in the territory of residence. In areas with national, ethnic, political fragmentation, there is a high probability of behavioral deviations.

Pathogenesis

The physiological prerequisites for the formation of behavioral disorders in children are changes in the activity of neurotransmitters, an excess of testosterone, and metabolic changes. As a result, the purposefulness of nerve transmission is disrupted, an imbalance in the processes of inhibition and excitation develops. The child is excited for a long time after frustration or is unable to activate volitional functions (directed attention, memorization, thinking). With proper upbringing, a benevolent environment, physiological characteristics are leveled. Frequent conflicts, lack of close trusting relationships, stress become triggers for the realization of biological characteristics and the development of RP.

Classification

In the International Classification of Diseases 10 (ICD-10), conduct disorders are a separate heading. It includes:

• RP limited to the family. It is characterized by dissocial, aggressive behavior, realized within the home, relationships with mother, father, household members. In the yard, kindergarten, school, deviations are extremely rare or absent.
• Unsocialized conduct disorder. Manifested by aggressive actions, actions towards other children (classmates, classmates).
• Socialized conduct disorder. Aggressive, antisocial acts are committed as part of a group. There are no difficulties in intragroup adaptation. Includes group offenses, truancy, stealing with other children.
• Defiant oppositional disorder. It is typical for young children, manifested by pronounced disobedience, the desire to break off relations. Aggressive, dissocial acts, offenses are absent.

Symptoms of conduct disorder in children

Behavioral disorders have three main manifestations: unwillingness to obey adults, aggressiveness, antisocial orientation - activity that violates the rights of others, causing harm to property and personality. It is important to consider that these manifestations are possible as a variant of the norm, disobedience is determined in most children, characteristic of crisis stages of development. The disorder is evidenced by a persistent (from six months) and excessive manifestation of symptoms.

Children with behavioral disorders often argue with adults, get angry, do not control emotions, tend to transfer the blame to another person, are touchy, do not obey the rules and requirements, purposefully annoy others, take revenge. Often there is a desire to destroy, damage other people's things. Possible threats, intimidation of peers, adults. Adolescents with RP provoke fights, fights with the use of weapons, enter other people's cars, apartments, set fires, show cruelty towards people, animals, wander, skip school.

Clinical symptoms include depressed, dysphoric mood, hyperactivity manifested by decreased attention, restlessness, and impulsivity. Sometimes depressive states develop, suicide attempts are made, self-harm is inflicted. Destructive behavior negatively affects academic performance, cognitive interest falls. The popularity of the child in the group is low, there are no permanent friends. Due to the problems of accepting the rules, he does not participate in games, sporting events. Social maladjustment exacerbates conduct disorder.

Complications

Complications of conduct disorders develop in adults. Young men who have not received treatment are aggressive, prone to violence, an antisocial lifestyle, often have alcohol, drug addiction, are involved in criminal groups or commit offenses on their own. In girls, aggressiveness, antisociality are replaced by emotional and personality disorders: neuroses, psychopathy. In both cases, socialization is violated: there is no education, profession, there are difficulties with employment, maintaining marital relations.

Diagnostics

A child psychiatrist deals with the diagnosis of behavioral disorders in children. The research is based on the clinical method. To objectify the data, psychodiagnostics is additionally carried out, extracts from examinations of narrow specialists (neurologist, ophthalmologist), characteristics of educators, teachers, representatives of law enforcement agencies are collected. A comprehensive examination of a child includes the following steps:

• clinical conversation. The psychiatrist finds out the severity, frequency and duration of aggressive, antisocial acts. Clarifies their character, focus, motivation. Talks with the parent about the emotional state of the child: the predominance of sadness, depression, euphoria, dysphoria. Asks about school performance, features of socialization.
• observation. In parallel with the conversation, the doctor observes the behavior of the child, the peculiarities of the relationship between him and the parent. Reactions to praise, condemnation are taken into account, it is assessed how relevant behavior is adequate to the situation. The specialist draws attention to the sensitivity of the parent to the mood of the child, the tendency to exaggerate the symptoms, the emotional mood of the participants in the conversation. Taking an anamnesis, monitoring intra-family relationships makes it possible to determine the proportion of biological and social factors in the formation of the disorder.
• Psychodiagnostics. Projective methods, questionnaires are used additionally. They make it possible to identify the state of maladjustment, emotional and personal characteristics, such as aggressiveness, hostility, a tendency to impulsive actions, depression, anger.

Differential diagnosis of behavioral disorders involves distinguishing them from adjustment disorder, hyperactivity syndrome, subcultural deviations, autism spectrum disorders, and a variant of the norm. To do this, the examination takes into account the presence of recent stress, the intentionality of deviant actions, adherence to subcultural groups, the presence of autism, and the development of cognitive functions.

Treatment of conduct disorders in children

Treatment is carried out by methods. For severe behavioral disorders that do not allow contact, medications are used. An integrated approach to the elimination of RP involves:

• behavioral methods. Based on learning theory, conditioning principles. Techniques are aimed at eliminating unwanted forms of behavior, developing useful skills. A structured, directive approach is used: behavior is analyzed, correction stages are determined, new behavioral programs are trained. The child's compliance with the therapist's requirements is reinforced.
• Group psychological trainings. Used after behavioral therapy. Designed to promote the socialization of the child. Conducted in a playful way, aimed at developing the skills of interpersonal interaction, problem solving.
• Medical treatment. Preference is given to sedatives of plant origin. Concomitant emotional disorders, somatovegetative disorders are corrected with benzodiazepine tranquilizers with a vegetative-stabilizing effect. Antipsychotics (small dosages) are individually prescribed.

The child's treatment should be supplemented by family counseling and social rehabilitation measures. Work with parents is aimed at improving the family microclimate, establishing cooperative relations with a clear indication of the boundaries of what is permitted. In the form of training, the correct style of parenting is taught, which involves focusing on the desired behavior of the child, improving self-management skills, and coping in conflict situations.

Forecast and prevention

The prognosis of behavioral disorders in children is favorable with systematic psychotherapeutic assistance. It must be understood that the treatment process is unlimited in time, takes several years, and requires periodic medical supervision. Most often, a positive outcome is observed in the presence of deviant behavior according to one characteristic, for example, aggressiveness, while maintaining normal socialization and academic performance. The prognosis is unfavorable with an early onset of the disorder, a wide range of symptoms, and an unfavorable family environment.

Preventive measures - a favorable intra-family environment, respectful, friendly attitude towards the child, the creation of comfortable material and living conditions. It is necessary to timely diagnose and treat neurological, endocrine diseases, maintain physical health by organizing regular activity (sections, walks), and rational nutrition.

The child's psyche is very sensitive and easily vulnerable, so a lot of provoking factors can cause mental disorders at such a young age. The clinical severity of symptoms, their duration and reversibility depend on the age of the child and the duration of the traumatic events.

Often, adults attribute the pathology of development and behavior to the age of the child, believing that over the years his condition can normalize. Oddities in the mental state are usually attributed to childhood whims, age-related infantilism and a lack of understanding of things happening around. Although in fact, all these manifestations may indicate problems with the psyche.

It is customary to distinguish four groups of mental disorders in children:

• autism spectrum disorders;
• mental retardation;
• attention deficit disorder.

What can cause a mental disorder?

Mental disorders in childhood can be caused by many reasons. A child's mental health is affected by psychological, social and biological factors.

This includes:

• genetic predisposition to the occurrence of mental illness;
• organic brain damage;
• conflicts in the family and at school;
• dramatic life events;
• stress.

Children can often react neurotically to their parents' divorce. In addition, the likelihood of developing mental problems is higher in children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The presence of a sick relative can lead to mental disorders. In this case, the cause of the disease can affect the tactics and duration of further treatment.

How do mental disorders manifest in children?

Symptoms of mental illness are:

• fears, phobias, increased anxiety;
• nervous tics;
• obsessive movements;
• aggressive behavior;
• mood lability, emotional imbalance;
• loss of interest in familiar games;
• slowness of body movements;
• thinking disorders;
• isolation, depressive mood for two weeks or longer;
• auto: self-harming and suicidal attempts;
• , which are accompanied by tachycardia and rapid breathing;
• symptoms of anorexia: refusal to eat, inducing vomiting, taking laxatives;
• problems concentrating, hyperactive behavior;
• addiction to alcohol and drugs;
• changes in behavior, sudden changes in the character of the child.

Children are more prone to nervous disorders during age-related crises, namely at the age of 3-4 years, 5-7 years and 12-18 years.

At the age of one year, psychogenic reactions are the result of the dissatisfaction of the main vital needs: sleep and food. At 2-3 years old, children may begin to suffer due to excessive attachment to the mother, which leads to infantilization and inhibition of development. At 4-5 years of age, mental illness can manifest itself in nihilistic behavior and protest reactions.

It is also worth being wary if the child shows degradation in development. For example, the baby's vocabulary is depleted, he loses already acquired skills, becomes less sociable and ceases to take care of himself.

At the age of 6-7 years, school is a stressful factor. Often, mental disorders in these children are manifested psychosomatically by a deterioration in appetite and sleep, fatigue, headaches and dizziness.

In adolescence (12-18 years), mental disorders have their own characteristics of symptoms:

• The child becomes prone to melancholy, anxiety, or vice versa to aggressiveness, conflict. A common feature is emotional instability.
• A teenager shows vulnerability to other people's opinions, assessments from the outside, excessive self-criticism or overestimated self-esteem, disregard for the advice of adults.
• Schizoid and cyclical.
• Children demonstrate youthful maximalism, theorizing, philosophizing, many internal contradictions.

It must be remembered that the above symptoms do not always indicate the presence of a mental illness. Only a specialist can understand the situation and determine the diagnosis.

Methods of treatment

It is usually very difficult for parents to decide on a visit to a psychotherapist. Recognition of mental disorders in a child is often associated with various restrictions in the future, ranging from the need to attend a special school to a limited choice of specialty. Because of this, changes in behavior, developmental features and oddities of character, which can be symptoms of mental dysfunctions, are often ignored.

If parents want to somehow solve the problem, then treatment often begins at home using alternative medicine. Only after prolonged failures and deterioration in the health of the offspring does the first visit to a qualified medical specialist occur.

Children, just like adults, often suffer from various acute or chronic mental disorders that have a negative impact on the normal development of the child, and this resulting lag is not always possible to catch up.

However, with a timely referral to a specialist at the very initial stages, it is possible not only to stop the development of such a disorder, but, in some cases, to completely get rid of it.

Moreover, according to experts, many deviations are easy to recognize. Each has certain characteristics that an attentive parent will definitely notice.

Today on the site "Popular about Health" we will briefly review the symptoms and types of mental disorders in children, and also find out the possible causes of their development:

The main causes of disorders

There are many factors that influence the development of mental disorders in children. The most common of them are genetic predisposition, various mental disorders, head injuries, brain damage, etc.

In addition, problems in the family, constant conflicts and emotional upheavals (death of a loved one, divorce of parents, etc.) can serve as a cause. And this is not a complete list of reasons that affect the development of a mental disorder in a child.

Types of disorders and their symptoms

Signs of pathology depend on its type. Let us briefly list the main mental disorders in children and the main symptoms that accompany them:

Anxiety disorders

Quite a common pathology. It is expressed in a regularly arising feeling of anxiety, which eventually turns into a real problem for the child and his parents. This disorder disrupts the daily rhythm of life, affects the full development.

ZPR - delayed psychoverbal development

Among mental disorders in children, this disorder is in one of the first places. It is characterized by delayed speech and mental development. It is expressed in varying degrees of lag in the formation of personality and cognitive activity.

Hyperactivity (attention deficit)

This disorder is defined by three main symptoms:

Violation of concentration;
- excessive physical and emotional activity;
- impulsive behavior, frequent manifestations of aggression.

Pathology can be expressed by one, two or all of the described signs.

eating disorders

Anorexia, bulimia or gluttony are eating disorders that are directly related to the psyche. If left untreated, they can be fatal.

They are expressed in the fact that the child concentrates all his attention on his own weight, or on food, and therefore cannot fully fulfill his duties, cannot concentrate on anything else.

Adolescents suffering from bulimia, anorexia almost completely lose their appetite, rapidly lose weight, they have frequent urge to vomit.

Gluttony is expressed in a constant desire to eat, rapid weight gain, which also prevents the child from living a normal, fulfilling life.

Bipolar disorder

It is expressed in long periods of depression, feelings of sadness, causeless longing. Or it can be determined by sudden mood swings. In healthy people, such conditions also occur, but in the case of pathology, these signs are much more serious and manifest and are much more difficult to tolerate.

Childhood autism

The disorder is characterized by limited social communication. A characteristic symptom of this disorder is isolation, refusal to contact others. Such children are very restrained in their emotions. Disturbances in mental development affect the child's perception and understanding of the world around him.

The main distinguishing feature of autism is that such a child refuses to contact people around him, shows restrained emotions and is very withdrawn.

Schizophrenia

This pathology in children, fortunately, is quite rare - one case per 50,000 people. The main reasons include, in particular, genetic disorders. The characteristic features include:

Loss of connection with reality;
- memory losses;
- lack of orientation in time and space;
- lack of ability to build interpersonal relationships.

Common Symptoms of Psychiatric Disorders

There are clear signs of violations that should alert parents. Let's list them briefly:

Frequent changes in mood.

Long periods of sadness or anxiety.

Unreasonable pronounced emotionality, unreasonable fears, strange, obsessive repetition of certain movements.

Visible deviation in the development of thinking.

Atypical behavioral reactions, including: violation of the rules of behavior, their complete disregard, frequent manifestations of aggression, a desire to harm others or yourself, a tendency to suicide.

Finally

If parents note the atypical behavior of their child, if there are signs described above, or other violations, it is necessary to show it to a psychoneurologist or psychiatrist as soon as possible. Allied specialists are also involved in these pathologies - psychologists, behavioral doctors, social workers, etc.

The sooner a diagnosis is made and treatment is prescribed, the higher the chances of a full and healthy life in the future. In addition, the help of a specialist will help to avoid the possible development of severe mental disorders.