How a child or teen thinks, acts, and feels impacts mental, physical, and emotional well-being. Unfortunately, millions of American kids struggle with mental health issues like depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse, and more. For effective treatment, it is better to understand the factors which shape childhood and adolescent mental health.
Let’s look at just a few and talk about where you can go for outstanding adolescent mental health treatment in Tuckahoe, NY.
Heredity
Mental health problems–schizophrenia, for example–can run in families. Certain circumstances passed from generation to generation, such as poverty, lack of parenting skills, and poor communication styles, create patterns of stress and maladaptive behaviors.
Additionally, research shows that many mental health disorders develop because of an imbalance in certain brain chemicals. These physical deficits can pass through the genes, creating the propensity for behavioral and mental health problems.
Abuse and Bullying
Whether physical or psychological, in the home, school, or online, abuse and bullying leads to mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and eating disorders, such as anorexia. Living in an atmosphere of negativity and criticism can lead to persistent sadness, social withdrawal, thoughts of self-harm, and other symptoms of mental illness in childhood and the teen years.
Trauma
Loss of a loved one, injury in a car accident, witnessing a crime, or other horrific events may cause symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, in kids and teens. Children who have gone through physical or psychological trauma often express their grief, fear, and frustration by acting out in anger, withdrawing from friends and family, failing at academics, and more.
What Parents Can Do
Parents should be familiar with the signs of mental illness in children and teens. Things such as persistent outbursts of anger, depressed mood, weight loss, insomnia, and poor concentration may signal the need for a check-up with the family pediatrician. If she rules out a physical cause for the symptoms and behaviors, then mental health intervention may be in order.
The most common–and effective–treatment for childhood and adolescent mental health disorders is cognitive behavior therapy or CBT. Through single and group counseling sessions, the youngster learns new and better ways of thinking about his or her circumstances or concerns.
As the parent, you can support this treatment option and others the doctor may recommend–family therapy or medications as examples. And, as always, vigilantly monitor your child’s symptoms and openly communicate with him or her about feelings, the best ways to cope, and more.
Adolescent Mental Health Treatment in Tuckahoe, NY
Just a simple phone call to Village Pediatric Group sets the journey to wellness in motion. Kids can embrace their own personalities, goals, home, and school life and be productive, valuable members of society.
At Village Pediatric Group, our board-certified pediatricians and their team are passionate about helping children and adolescents enjoy good physical and mental health for a lifetime.
If you’d like to discuss mental health issues with us, please call our office at (914) 771-7070 or request an appointment online. We’re here to support you and your kids.
