Children and mental health

Mental health disorders do concern only adults. In fact, estimates indicate that up to 20 per cent of Canadian children and youth could suffer from a mental illness.

These disorders can affect the development and functioning at home, at school, with other young people and with the general population. These disorders are the most disabling of all. The good news is that a diagnosis and early treatment can give a child the tools to lead a normal life.

Here are the mental health disorders among the most common children:

• Anxiety disorders
• disorders of the attention deficit with or without hyperactivity
• depression
• the conduct disorders
• psychosis
• sleep disorders
• eating disorders

How to detect a disorder?

A behavior change among your child may be a sign that he needs help because of a mental health problem. It can sometimes be difficult to assess wether your child acts in an "appropriate" manner  to his age or there is really something wrong.

Below, here is a list of abnormal behaviors that a child or adolescent may display during the normal course of his development. If these behaviors are intense, persistent or inappropriate for the age of the child, they may be a sign of an underlying mental health problem.

The abnormal behaviors may include:

-Get of school results really weaker than usual
-Avoid the friends and the family
-Have frequent outbursts of anger or rage
-Loss of the appetite
-Having difficulty in sleeping (insomnia)
-Rebel
-Stop doing things or activities that he/she loved to do
-Worrying continually
-A frequent change  in the mood
-Being more concerned about physical appearance
-Messing of energy and motivation
-Hit or intimidate other young people
-try to injure oneself

What to do if you suspect a mental health disorder among your child:

1. Talk with your child about your concerns. Avoid using the confrontation. Listen carefully to what he said
2. Make an appointment with your family doctor and discuss the problem. The change in behavior may have a physiological cause
3. Ask the teachers, babysitters, friends, and family if they have noticed any changes in your child
4. Meet with a school counselor, which might be able to refer your child to the appropriate counseling

How to get help:

• Ask advice from your family physician on how to obtain and get an appointment with a team of specialists in mental health, a psychiatrist or a psychologist working with children.
• Try the family counseling services or support groups. These can help you to get through some difficult moments and show you to support oneself and others.