Are
you worried your child is suffering from anxiety, depression, or other
emotional issues? Does your child have problems at school, either academic or
social? Are they not the happy child you once knew? If this is the case, then
your child may benefit from mental
health services. According to a recent study, approximately
25% of children in America suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder. However,
20% of these children suffer at a sub-clinical level and hence do not receive
the therapeutic services they need.
Understanding
how emotional issues affect your child’s wellbeing will help you determine how
to best help your child. As it relates to mental health, for children there are
four common areas where we see it show up. Let’s take a look at these four
areas:
Schools:
School
plays a crucial part in every child’s life. Developmental tasks involving
attending school can affect children academically, emotionally, or socially. Various
learning disabilities and attention disorders can affect a child’s ability to
learn at school which in turn impacts children emotionally. Furthermore, many
social factors such as social skills can affect a child’s peer relationships
and ability to stay out of trouble at school. If your child has issues either
academically, emotionally, or socially at school, mental health counseling or
assessment may be of great benefit for your child.
Bonding
with adults:
Another
important area of functioning for your child is the ability to get along with
adults. It is important that your child can comply with adult demands and
listen to parents, teachers, and other authority figures in your child’s life.
Therapy is often very useful in managing defiant behavior from your child and
teaching parents strategies to help their child succeed in this area.
Mood:
Very
often parents miss the signs that suggest their child may be suffering from a
mood disorder. A common sign of anxiety in children is if you notice that your
child worries about many things. Furthermore children with anxiety typically
are very critical of themselves, and have a strong desire to please others.
Another common mood disorder for children is depression. Signs of depression in
children include sadness most of the day, changes in appetite, more cranky or
irritable than normal, problems sleeping, or refusal to go school.
Psychologists are especially qualified in treating mood disorders, and can
offer your child much relief.
Bonding
with peers:
Children
may also struggle to make substantial peer relationships. Some children
struggle in this area due to aggressive behavior and lack of social skills
related to boundaries. Other children find it difficult to make friends because
of social anxiety and shyness. Either end of the spectrum can drastically
affect the way a child perceives themselves and overall wellbeing
According
to many clinical studies, efficient psychotherapy can help children struggling
in these areas. Psychotherapy offers a way to cope with the academic and
psychological issues., as well as offers parenting strategies as well. A
capable psychologist can certainly aid in helping your
child find relief in these areas.
