While mental health disorders are very common in adults, these are not uncommon in children. An estimated 5 million children in America suffer from some type of serious mental illness.
It is estimated that in any given year, 20% of children in the US will be diagnosed with a mental disorder.
Mental health issues not only interfere with the overall wellness of your child but also affect how they think, regulate their feelings, and behave. Furthermore, these can also cause distress or disrupt a child’s ability to function.
Many mental health issues can affect children, and a few of the most common ones are:
Anxiety Disorder
If your child responds to certain things or situations with dread and fear, they may have an anxiety disorder. Persistent fear, worries, and anxiety are not the only symptoms of anxiety disorder; they can also result in physical signs, such as heart pounding, having trouble breathing, or feeling sweaty, shaky, or dizzy.
Anxiety can also make your child irritable and angry.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Compared to the other children with no mental issues, children with ADHD appear to be impulsive, hyperactive, inattentive, or a combination of these.
The occasional impulsiveness, inattention, or hyperactivity of a child is not ADHD, but ADHD is when these symptoms persist for a prolonged period, are severe, and cause difficulty at home, school, or with friends.
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism is a neurological condition that appears in children before the age of 3 but can last throughout life. The severity of this mental health issue differs from child to child.
Children with autism spectrum disorder communicate, behave, interact, and learn in ways that are different from other children of the same age.
Eating Disorders
These serious physical and mental disorders result in a severe disturbance in a child’s eating behaviors, thoughts, and emotions. Preoccupation with body weight, food, and body shape may signal an eating disorder. Adolescents are most commonly affected by these disorders.
Binge-eating disorder (consuming an unusually large amount of food in one sitting), bulimia nervosa (a condition characterized by bouts of eating followed by self-induced vomiting), and anorexia nervosa (a condition in which people obsess about weight and what they eat) are some of the common eating disorders.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD)
Nearly all children experience stressful events that affect their thinking and feelings, some children recover quickly, but others are affected for the long term.
Such children may develop long-term symptoms, such as nightmares and sleep problems, intense fear or sadness, irritability, and angry outbursts, which can affect their activities and relationships.
Pediatric Mental Health Treatment in Tuckahoe, NY
Mental health disorders in children can be treated with various therapies, including medications, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), or their combination.
If you think your child is suffering from mental health issues and you are in search of a pediatrician who can provide the highest-quality mental health services, visit us here at Village Pediatric Group. Our providers use cognitive behavioral therapy, medications, and other therapies to treat your child’s mental issues.
If you would like to schedule a consultation with one of our pediatricians, call us today at (914) 771-7070 or use our convenient online appointment request form.
