11 symptoms of mental illness in children

childhood is the stage of life in which health is a greater concern. The little ones do not always know how to express very well what kind of discomfort they are feeling, and furthermore, since childhood is the At a time when more disorders and diseases in general appear, it is very important to pay attention in case they are detected symptom.

The same goes for mental health. The appearance of a large part of the most frequent neurological disorders and disorders occurs during the first years of life, and it is very important know how to detect mental illness in boys and girls to intervene as soon as possible so that its negative effects are less likely to gain strength and pose a threat to the child's well-being.

Detecting symptoms of mental illness in childhood

It must be clear that knowing how to detect signs of mental illness is a task that always has to lead to medical and psychological examinations. Diagnoses of mental disorders can only be made by professionals accredited, and neither the concern of the parents nor the complaints of the child are a valid reason to start improvised treatments outside the health system.

At the same time, we must also bear in mind that it is normal for little ones to feel bad from time to time or perform behaviors that may seem strange to us from time to time. The odds that this has to do with mental illness has to do with:

• If the occurrence of these behaviors is more or less abrupt.

• If it matches a traumatic or stressful event, or an injury.

• The intensity of these symptoms and the degree to which they deviate from what is considered to be normal.

• If these behaviors can suppose a wear and tear on the well-being of the boy or girl or someone in their environment.

When considering whether the child may be developing a mental illness, it is important apply common sense and be clear that the last word is always with clinical psychologists and psychiatrists

Some of the symptoms to watch out for are:

1. Tendency to self-harm

The fact that a boy or girl try to injure yourself or hit your head against hard objects This is a reason to see a specialist. However, it is necessary to reflect beforehand on the extent to which causing injuries is the final intention of a behavior. For example, if a baby tries to go down stairs on all fours, it does not mean that he wants to fall down them; he just doesn't know that it can be dangerous.

Self-harm is often related to an inability to manage stress appropriately, which leads to causing pain to distract from other thoughts that together are even more unpleasant.

• Related article: "Non-suicidal self-injury: who does it affect and why does it occur?"

2. sudden mood swings

Extreme mood swings are also indicators of mental illness, especially if you don't it is possible to relate them to objective events that occur around them and occur in a erratic. However, we must also consider that the little ones cry very easily, since that is part of their level of neurological maturation.

3. rejection of one's own appearance

The non-acceptance of one's own body at an early age can be a symptom of mental illness in boys and girls. However, in cases like the gender dysphoria, it is considered that the causes are fundamentally biopsychosocial and are not caused by a discomfort that has to do with the functioning of their body itself.

Complaints about your own weight can also be signs of eating disorders in development if they are persistent and have implications for the amount of food that is admitted.

4. Eating irregularities

Eating very little or bingeing on food it can be a sign of psychological functions that are working abnormally if this poses a risk to the child's health. Starting from puberty, the pressure to build an identity that is socially acceptable can push young people to make great sacrifices to look good.

5. explosions of violence

Frequent outbursts of anger may be the result of a neurochemical mismatch in the nervous system that affects mood, or, viewed from another perspective, may be the result of a pattern of behavior that has been learned involuntarily despite not being useful or effective.

6. The tendency to hurt others

Inflicting bullying or injuring or killing animals is also a cause for concern, and it is necessary to implement corrective programs so that this behavior cannot continue to develop. It may be due to an inability to empathize with the rest, or it may also be that there is a problem that generates so much stress that leads the person to act impulsively.

7. Symptoms of disconnection with reality

This is a group of symptoms that is difficult to detect, since children they tend to show magical thinking and enjoy fantasizing about fictional situations. The key here is to know if that magical thought that will disappear as your brain matures is a risk to their well-being or that of someone else, and if the fantasies they use to play are something more than that or no.

In the case of imaginary friends, it is easy for the child to refuse to admit that it does not really exist despite being aware of the truth, simply so as not to break with the appearance of fantasy. In these cases, it is good to inquire about whether the imaginary friend does things that the child finds unexpected, that cause problems that cannot be controlled.

8. Tendency to isolation

Many boys and girls prefer to play alone, but some of them do it not out of shyness, but because they feel bad if there are people around, in any context. These cases can be a reason for psychological consultation, since it could be a sign of Autism Spectrum Disorders.

9. serious difficulties at school

Having difficulties in school may be related to learning disorders such as dyslexia wave dyscalculia, or also may be the consequence of serious mental illness (although, of course, it is often a false alarm in this regard). Childhood is a stage in which developmental disorders can leave a very negative mark on the subsequent evolution of the person if they are not addressed effectively.

10. Lack of motivation

The existence of an extremely passive attitude and a clear lack of initiative to carry out very elementary actions it can be a sign of mental illness. Specifically, it is associated with depressive disorders.

11. Constant complaints about aches or pains

Of course, pain is an element that has a lot to say in the detection of diseases. Sometimes they can refer to a headache that can be caused by abnormal functioning of certain psychological functions related to perception or concentration.