4 of the Most Common Mental Health Disorders in Children
Mental health comprises mental, behavioral, and emotional wellbeing. It is an important consideration not only for adults but also teenagers and children. Children who are mentally healthy typically have good social skills, reach emotional and developmental milestones without much challenge, and understand how to cope with challenges. Mental health disorders, meanwhile, can affect how children learn, behave, and experience emotions.
Symptoms of mental health disorders can present over time. These symptoms can include difficulties with managing emotions, playing with others, and behaving and learning in the classroom. In 2007 the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine reported that as many as 1 in 5 children in the United States experience a mental health disorder each year. Fortunately, many of these disorders can be treated and managed.
The following is a look at four of the most common mental health issues and disorders in children and how to manage them.
Anxiety
It’s normal for children to feel afraid, sad, or hopeless at different stages of their development. Anxiety, however, is an internalizing disorder in which a child has extreme and/or frequently occurring feelings of fear and sadness. These feelings and thoughts can interfere with a child’s social and emotional development and prevent them from doing things they want to do. General anxiety, for instance, is a form of anxiety characterized by being constantly worried that something bad is going to happen. Children with social anxiety have trouble being comfortable in large groups of people. Panic disorder, phobias, and separation anxiety are other forms of anxiety.
In its most recent National Survey of Children’s Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that about 9.4 percent (5.8 million) of all children between the ages of 3 and 17 have been diagnosed with some form of anxiety.
Depression
Depression is another internalizing disorder that often goes hand-in-hand with anxiety in children. In fact, the CDC’s recent National Survey of Children’s Health found that while fewer youth experienced depression (2.7 million) than anxiety, nearly 75 percent of children with depression also had anxiety. Depression becomes more common in children as they age, as well. The CDC reports that 15.1 percent of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 reported experiencing at least one major depressive episode.
Depression can affect children in a variety of ways, but symptoms often include regular feelings of hopelessness and despair or anhedonia (loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy). Children with depression might also exhibit changes in their eating and sleeping patterns, have trouble paying attention, or engage in self-destructive behavior.
There are several natural ways to treat and manage both depression and anxiety. Keeping to a regular sleep schedule and predictable routine while following a healthy diet and getting at least one hour of physical activity each day can help lessen feelings of anxiety and depression in children. Parents should also take their child to their primary care provider or a mental health counselor to perform a mental health evaluation. Treatment options might include medication, behavior therapy, or cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a condition in which children frequently exhibit disruptive and unwanted behaviors toward others. It is known as an externalizing disorder because the child is acting out their emotional or mental issues as opposed to internalizing them as is the case with depression and anxiety. Common ODD behaviors in children include being angry or losing their temper regularly, arguing frequently with adults, or being spiteful and resentful.
Implementing a personalized treatment plan to fit the needs of both the child and family is one of the best ways to address ODD, but it’s important to begin treatment efforts as early as possible. The child’s school should also be aware of and support any behavior intervention treatment. For younger children, parents should work with a therapist to learn the most effective ways to not only respond to the child’s behavior but also improve the parent-child relationship.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often associated with military combat veterans, but it can affect anyone at any age who experiences traumatic events. Children can have long-term trauma from severe stress associated with an injury, the death of a friend or close family member, or violence. Like other mental health disorders, PTSD can negatively impact a child’s relationships and overall wellbeing.
Common PTSD symptoms include irritability, nightmares and other sleep issues, continually replaying the event in thought or play, or outright denying the event(s) occurred. Children with PTSD might also seem restless or have difficulties paying attention. This is why it’s important for mental health professionals and clinicians to properly screen the child to determine if they have PTSD or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
“Comorbidity estimates among ADHD and PTSD range from roughly 12 percent to 37 percent across the lifespan,” writes clinical psychologist Michelle Ferrer, PhD, in the June 2020 edition of Attention magazine. “However, sometimes a child with PTSD will be incorrectly perceived as experiencing ADHD. Indeed, research suggests that early adverse experiences can cause structural and chemical changes in the brain, and these changes can potentially lead children who have been through traumatic experiences to exhibit behaviors that may look like ADHD.”
To accurately screen a child for PTSD and/or ADHD, Dr. Ferrer suggests closely examining their behavior, allowing them to explore their thoughts and feelings without judgment, and considering the timeline of their challenges.
