Symptoms of common childhood mental disorders every parent should know

When children are mentally healthy, it means they are reaching their developmental and emotional milestones and learning healthy social skills. They should also be able to learn how to cope when there are problems.

It’s normal for children to feel worried from time to time, such as on the first day of school or when moving to a new area. However, for some children. Anxiety can affect their behavior and thoughts on a daily basis, interfering with their life.

According to the UK NHS, some of the signs of anxiety disorders in children include finding it hard to concentrate; not sleeping, or waking in the night with bad dreams; not eating properly; quickly getting angry or irritable; constantly worrying or having negative thoughts; feeling tense and fidgety; always crying; being clingy all the time; and complaining of tummy aches and feeling unwell.

ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. Children with ADHD do not just grow out of behaviors like trouble focusing.

According to the US CDC, a child with ADHD might daydream a lot, forget or lose things a lot, squirm or fidget, talk too much, make careless mistakes, have a hard time resisting temptation, and have difficulty getting along with others.

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurological condition that appears usually before age 3. The severity of ASD varies from person to person. Usually, children with this disorder have difficulty communicating and interacting with others.

The signs of ASD in toddlers include limited babbling or pointing by 12 months, no single words by age 16 months, no response to hearing their name by 12 months, loss of acquired language or social skills, limited eye contact, limited response to others, and limited pointing, showing, or bringing objects to share their interest with others.

Eating disorders cause people to develop severely disrupted eating habits. They are characterized by a preoccupation with an ideal body type, disordered thinking about weight, and unsafe eating habits. Eating disorders are most common amongst teenage girls.

Behavioral symptoms of eating disorder in children include compulsive or excessive exercising; unusual behavior around food like cutting food into tiny pieces; a sudden interest in cooking but refusing to eat what they have cooked; wanting to eat alone or in secret; wearing baggy clothes; vomiting after eating; eating large quantities of food without appearing to gain weight; repeatedly weighing themselves; and social isolation.

Children who have depression experience persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest that can disrupt the child's ability to function in school and interact with others. Children and teenagers with depression may be irritable, moody, complain that they're bored all the time, and have little interest in friends and activities they once enjoyed. If you notice your child experiencing any of the above symptoms, it is important to take them to their doctor.

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