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Nine signs your child could have mental health disorder

Women's rights > blog > Nine signs your child could have mental health disorder

Thousands of kids as young as two are now said to be living with mental disorders, the National Health Service (NHS) warns.

Mental health disorders do not just affect adults, kids and teenagers can suffer from them, too, thesun.ie reported.

In fact, kids as young as two are now said to be at risk, with one in eight kids suffering mental illness, according to the NHS.

The latest official statistics suggest one in eight kids aged between five and 19 are living with a mental health issue, while around 113,000 toddlers in England have problems before they even start school.

They are not always easy to spot, either. With all children suffering a mental illness experiencing different symptoms.

Here are the nine signs that your child could have a mental health disorder:

1. Bad mood that won’t go away

A child suffering mental health problems will begin to feel persistently down.

Emily Cherry, the head of policy at Barnados UK, told The Sun Online that they might be becoming really withdrawn from friends and family and isolating themselves.

“So if you have events coming up like birthdays they might start to become really fearful and don’t want to engage,” she said.

“They will be persistently low and unhappy — nothing will lift their mood.”

2. Tearful or emotional outbursts

Another key sign to look out for is anger and emotional outbursts.

These will be much bigger than the usual outburst a child might have when they are defying their parents.

“That kind of anger or outburst will stop them doing normal, everyday tasks,” Emily added.

3. Lack of interest in fun things they used to love

Another sign is that they might lose interest in activities they used to enjoy.

For instance, if your child had a hobby and they have suddenly stopped doing it and do not want to replace it with another activity.

4. Feeling tired all the time

If your child seems unable to relax or is more lethargic than usual, this could be a clue that something is not quite right.

According to the NHS, being irritable or grumpy all the time may also be a tell-tale sign.

5. Eating less or binge eating

Any sudden change in your child’s eating habits might signal a mental health problem.

Some might even have physical symptoms, such as headaches and stomach aches, the NHS said.

6. Trouble sleeping

Another really important sign to look for is if your child is having problems sleeping.

“Children who are persistently low, who are suffering from depression or anxiety, will find sleeping really difficult,” said Cherry.

It might also be that they do not want to get out of bed, or sleep in for hours longer than usual.

7. Lack of concentration

If teachers at your child’s school have noticed that they are finding it hard to concentrate in class, this could be a red flag, also.

Not being able to make their mind up, or seeming like they do not care about certain outcomes are signs that should not be taken lightly, either.

8. Low self-esteem

If your kid talks about feeling guilty or worthless, it might be a sign that they have lost their confidence, which could be linked to a mental illness.

The NHS describes this as feeling ‘empty or unable to feel emotions’ or ‘numb’.

9. Having suicidal thoughts

Perhaps more of a direct clue, but if things get really bad, you might notice your child begins self-harming or cutting their skin.

“If a child is getting to crisis point, where they are feeling so low and angry, they may turn to self-harm and even have suicidal thoughts,” explained Cherry.

You might not see the evidence of such action right away, but you might notice your child is covering up more or trying to hide their skin, which might be a sign of self-harming.

While there are some key warning signs to look out for, they can vary from child to child.

However, Cherry said parents know their children and should be able to spot them easily.

“Parents are the experts in their own children,” she said.

“Feeling down or anxious is often really normal for children and it can be quite worrying for parents to see that.

“But there is often a real tipping point for parents when that anxiety, that feeling low and feeling sad starts to take over your child’s life and that’s when you need to be seeking help.”

Every 90 minutes, someone kills themselves in the UK — with suicide being the biggest killer of people under the age of 35.

Some studies show that almost one in four young people will experience depression before they are 19 years old.

Alana Ryan, senior policy officer at the NSPCC, said, “When a generation of children is struggling with their mental health with many having self-harmed or attempted suicide, we are fundamentally failing our young people.

“Our own research shows even if children are referred for specialist mental health treatment there is a slim chance they will receive it, which is totally unacceptable.”

It is important to get help early if you think your child may have a mental disorder or is depressed.

The longer it goes on, the more likely it is to disrupt your child’s life and turn into a long-term problem.

 

Source:Iran daily

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