Mental Health And Children: What To Look Out For

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Mental Health and children

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Over the past few years, mental health awareness has raised considerably. And this is great, as more and more people are now getting the help they need with various conditions. However, even though awareness amongst adults is at an all-time high, it is still fairly low amongst children and teenagers. Even parents aren’t sure what symptoms and signs of mental health problems they should look out for in their children. To help you look after the welfare of your children, here are some common mental health issues that affect the young.

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are very common among young people, especially those who find that there is a big pressure to look a certain way. Many self-conscious children and teenagers might feel that they are overweight when they are far from it. As a result, they may start to cut down on their food and could start to excessively exercise. If you notice any changes in your child’s diet or exercise routine, they could have developed an eating disorder. It’s a good idea to take them to a mental health center, such as https://www.compasshealthcenter.net/ so that they can be checked out. It’s very important that your child gets immediate medical attention if they do suffer from an eating disorder or else their health will be put in danger.

OCD

OCD can affect adults just as much as it does children but, more often than not, it will first develop in childhood. This condition affects the brain and can change how the sufferer thinks. Patients often rely on strange behavior and develop obsessions to try and overcome their fears of the outside world. Some sufferers create rituals that they need to perform every day in order to get through regular tasks. There is no cure for this condition, and patients often live with it for life. However, there are ways to reduce the symptoms such as cognitive behavior therapy.

Shock And Trauma

Paramedics and doctors do a tremendous job to help save people who have been involved in traumatic accidents. You can see the great work they do by reading reports such as https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/dec/09/nhs-paramedics-get-pay-rises. But, unfortunately, making sure the body is completely healed doesn’t guarantee that the mind has overcome all the shock that often comes with such awful injuries. If your child is ever involved in such an accident, you should book an appointment with a psychiatrist to ensure that your child doesn’t have too many emotional scars.

Substance Abuse

If you suspect your child is taking drugs, it could be a sign of stress of chaos in their home life. Is everything alright at home? Some children take it hard when their parents are constantly fighting and arguing. If this sounds like you and your partner, you should try and calm things down so that it doesn’t have too much of a negative effect on your children.

Make sure your child is getting the mental health support that they need. Hopefully, this blog post has helped you understand what to look out for.

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