How important is mental health for children? What happens when your children’s mental health is harmed? How can we improve your children’s mental health?
Mental health includes the cognitive, behavioural, and emotional well-being of the individual. Mental health is nothing but how you think, feel, and behave in daily life. Mental health is a state in which you understand your abilities, copes up with the daily stresses in life, productively work, and efficiently contribute to the community. Mental health is critical for children to establish relationships with others. Mental health disorders in children can be defined as dysfunction in developing age-related thinking, behaviours, social skills, and emotions.
Many children in schools have poor mental health and have many behavioural and developmental issues. The terms like self-esteem, stress, resilience, self-confidence, and emotional intelligence were also low for many children. Children from poor backgrounds have low self-esteem and self-confidence, which will impact their mental health. Children from vulnerable populations need to be motivated regularly to sustain or develop their mental health.
Sustained positive mental health helps your children to succeed in school and their life. It is very critical for the academic achievement of your child. This led them to improve the sense of connectedness, school climate, classroom behaviour, on-task learning, and well-being. Poor mental health is connected with an academic and behavioural problem, drop out and delinquency among children
There are vast types of mental disorders arising during the childhood period. The typical kinds of mental disorders existing among children are anxiety disorders, eating disorders, depression and other mood disorders. Some also involve post-traumatic stress disorder and disruptive disorders. An infant may develop disorders like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autistic disorder, and mental retardation. However, during childhood, they may develop depression, anxiety disorders, and conduct disorders. During adolescence, they may have a chance of developing social phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, and suicide. The other types include tics and Tourette’s disorder. This is only a rare possibility and may not affect a typically raised child, as several factors are involved.
The mentally healthy child has proper developmental and emotional milestones and learns healthy social skills and coping with problems. These children develop a positive quality of life and can function well in their life.
Mental disorders among children are severe changes in the child’s learning and behaviour that cause distress and child problems. Some child experience fears and worries and often expresses disruptive behaviours. We can easily differentiate children and their mental health, such as a child with a mental disorder differs in all the aspects of those without a mental disorder. It is challenging to diagnose mental disorders in children as they differ in physical, mental, emotional health, etc.
The mental disorders affecting the children are as follows:
Anxiety disorders: This type of disorder is common in children. They may experience fear and nervousness. Your children may also develop physiological symptoms.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): These children usually have impulsivity, hyperactivity, distractions, problems with distraction, and uncontrolled nervous control.
Disruptive behaviour disorders: Children with these disorders usually break the rules and are disruptive in school circumstances
Pervasive developmental disorders: Children with these disorders usually have a problem in cognition and problem with the development
Eating disorders: Eating disorders involve unusual behaviour in intense emotions and attitudes towards food patterns
Elimination disorders: This disorder involves issues with the children’s bowel and bladder control.
Learning and communication disorders: This disorder includes issues with learning and problems with communication. This can be found with children in schools.
Affective disorders: This involves various kinds of mood disorders, which involve feelings of sadness, rapidly changing moods, depression, bipolar disorder, etc.
Schizophrenia disorder: This involves various problems or issues with the perceptions and thinking pattern of the children
Tic disorders: This disorder involves repetitive movement in children.
Is it possible to improve mental health in children? Yes! Here are a few methods for improving mental health among children:
Expression of love and affection from family
Developing self-confidence and high self-esteem
Provision of opportunity to play with other children
Encouragement from teachers and supportive caretakers
Establishing safe and secure surroundings
Providing necessary guidance and discipline
Let us know how you help your child in coping with their mental health and promote positive thinking.
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