“I was diagnosed at 19, but my symptoms started in childhood. I often wonder, if I were diagnosed earlier, could I have prevented some of the toughest times in my life? I also think my parents would have benefited from knowing about my mental illness before I was an adult. I can remember being very anxious and depressed around 12, and would consider myself experienced in mood episodes as early as elementary school.” This is a spurt from a girl in an awareness program she had held.

   What do we understand of mental illness? What are the alarming signs? Does mentally unhealthy means the person is “MAD”?  Many parents, caregivers, young adults, teachers have these questions. Some feel being suicidal means crazy or “how can a child get depressed, he is not even aware of his emotions yet?” There are still attitudes like these which create stigma in our society and discrimination towards people with mental health problems. We need to ask ourselves what causes this stigma. And I feel it’s the lack of awareness and ignorance from the society towards mental health. We focus so much on our physical and biological attributes and get concerned if any kind of disturbance is observed, but we tend to ignore if our mood is low, or you feel restless and uncomfortable in a public place, or your child loses his study related material like pencil, book in school. Learning about early warning signs, and taking action can help.

According to a research one half of all mental illness begins by age 14 and 75% begins by age 24. Mental illness in children can be hard for parents to identify, even if you know the red flags, it can be difficult to distinguish signs of a problem from normal childhood behavior. You might reason that every child displays some of these signs at some point and children often lack the vocabulary or developmental ability to explain their concerns. Pay special attention to these signs which should be ALARMING for parents and caregivers:

  • Withdrawal — Recent social withdrawal and loss of interest in others or in day to day activity.
  • Drop in functioning — An unusual drop in functioning, at school, work or social activities, such as quitting sports, failing in school or difficulty performing familiar tasks.
  • Increased sensitivity — Heightened sensitivity to sights, sounds, smells or touch; avoidance of over-stimulating situations.
  • Apathy — Loss of initiative or desire to participate in any activity or play.
  • Excessive fear and nervousness- like fear of exams or science practical and it starts effecting the child’s daily functioning.
  • Signs of self-destructive behavior, such as head-banging, or a tendency to get hurt often.
  • Sleep or appetite changes — Dramatic sleep and appetite changes or decline in personal care.
  • Behavior changes- These includes drastic changes in behavior or personality, as well as dangerous or out-of-control behavior. Fighting frequently, using weapons and expressing a desire to badly hurt others also are warning signs.
  • Mood changes — Look for feelings of sadness or withdrawal that last at least two weeks or severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships at home or school.

Some of these signs will be observed in children in their childhood and growing years, one or two of these symptoms alone can’t predict a mental illness. But if a person is experiencing several at one time and the symptoms are causing serious difficulty in the ability to study, work, relate to others, socialize with others, playing with friends, participate in daily chores he/she should be seen by a mental health professional(Psychiatrist, Psychologist, clinical social workers, or behavior therapist). People with suicidal thoughts or intent, or thoughts of harming others, need immediate attention.

If these signs are not taken seriously they can result into severe psychological disorders like Depression, Anxiety, Mood disorders, Sleep Disorders, Attention- deficit hyperactivity disorder. Early diagnosis and early intervention can help reduce the severity of an illness.

For further queries you can refer to the link http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/treatment-of-children-with-mental-illness-fact-sheet/index.shtml

Navya Dev

Psychologist