Bengaluru: With mental health disorders rising among young children in the recent past, many of them aren't getting the help they need. The concerned parents are struggling to recognise certain behaviours as symptoms of true mental illness among their children, as opposed to the children just feeling the blues or getting nervous, point out city doctors.
A new study by the University of London found that mental health problems have seen a six-fold rise among youngsters and children who have been brought up in the age of the internet.
Dr Venkatesh Babu, Consultant Psychiatrist at Fortis Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, said, "Unlike adults who can identify and communicate about their problems, children struggle to identify, and if they do, there is a struggle to express it because of various reasons. The symptoms of mental illness among children are very different from adults for the same clinical conditions. The frequent mental health conditions observed in child and adolescent population are anxiety disorders, ADHD, autism, mood disorders, substance use disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders etc."
Doctors said that many times, Google search on the symptoms ends up confusing and worrying the parents further, instead of proving to be of any help.
Some of the red flags to identify mental health illness are frequent mood disturbances, like anger outbursts over trivial issues, temper tantrums, poor social engagement, not exhibiting interest in any play, difficulty in concentration, presenting as deterioration in academic performance compared to the past and frequent absenteeism from school or college.
Dr Vinod Kumar, Psychiatrist and Head at Mpower-The Centre Bangalore, said, "Common presentations we see among children and adolescents are behavioural issues which in our experience is usually rooted in the level of stress children face today, both at school and at home. This is due to unrealistic expectations from both parents and teachers mainly and the general culture of increased competitiveness. To top it all, when we see children in our Centre, their schedules are packed with academic and extra-curricular activities leaving no room for leisure/free time."
The parents usually fail to identify the symptoms or would directly confront the children for behavioural changes, said Dr Babu. "Sometimes, children exhibit signs of distress through their interaction on virtual platforms by penning their thoughts of anxiety, fear, suicidal and relationship complications through their posts. It is important that parents engage with their children, actively listen to the problems, instil confidence by being non-judgmental, and finally seek professional help when required," he said.
Experts also highlighted that along with parents, it's also crucial for children to be adequately aware of their mental condition, so that they can identify and not ignore the symptoms. Also, they should not overstretch the little nervous incidents and convert them into serious problems instead of strongly overcoming them.
