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How to determine the mental disorders of a child 4 months. Nervous System Disorders

Mental disorders of early childhood (the first 3 years of life) are studied relatively recently and insufficiently studied, which is largely due to the particular complexity of assessing the early childhood psyche, its immaturity, abortive manifestations, and difficulties in distinguishing between norm and pathology. A significant contribution to the development of this area of ​​child psychiatry was made by the works of G.K. Ushakov, O.P. Parte (Yurieva), G.V. Kozlovskaya, A.V. Goryunova. It was shown that in young children, starting from infancy, a wide range of mental disorders (emotional, behavioral, mental development, speech, motor, psychovegetative, paroxysmal, etc.) are epidemiologically detected at the borderline and psychotic levels in the form of reactions, phases and procedural disorders. Their frequency differs slightly from the prevalence in adults. According to G.V. Kozlovskaya, the prevalence of mental pathology (morbidity) in children under 3 years old was 9.6%, mental morbidity - 2.1%. The accumulated knowledge about mental pathology in young children gives grounds to consider micropsychiatry (in the terminology of the famous child psychiatrist T.P. Simeon) as an independent area of ​​child psychiatry.

The psychopathology of early childhood has a number of characteristic features: polymorphism and rudimentary symptoms; a combination of psychopathological symptoms with certain forms of impaired development of mental functions; close cohesion of mental disorders with neurological; coexistence of initial and final manifestations of the disease.

Emotion disorders

A decrease in general emotionality at an early age can be manifested by the absence of a revival complex, a smile at the sight of those caring for him; comfort in the arms of loved ones; reactions of discontent to untimely feeding, failure to perform proper care. A decrease in mood is often accompanied by a violation of appetite, sleep, general malaise, discomfort, and often complaints of abdominal pain. The first years of life are characterized by anaclitic depression that occurs when separated from the mother: the child often cries, does not coo, does not take the breast actively enough, lags behind in weight gain, is prone to frequent regurgitation and other manifestations of dyspepsia, is prone to respiratory infections, turns away to the wall, sluggishly reacts to toys, when familiar faces appear, does not show positive emotions.

Preschoolers often complain of boredom, laziness, low mood, accompanied by passivity, slowness, psychopathic behavior. An increase in emotions in the form of hypomania or euphoria is usually manifested by motor hyperactivity and often a decrease in sleep duration, early rising and increased appetite. There are also such emotional disturbances as emotional monotony, dullness and even emasculation as a manifestation of an emotional defect. There are also mixed emotions.

Severe loss of appetite in infants and young children occurs with sudden changes in habitual living conditions with periodic refusal to eat and vomiting. Older children are known to have monotonous eating habits that persist for a long time (eating only ice cream or mashed potatoes for a number of years 3 times a day), persistent avoidance of meat products, or eating inedible things (for example, foam rubber balls).

Delayed psychomotor development or its unevenness (delayed or asynchronous mental development) can be nonspecific (benign), manifested by a delay in the formation of motor, mental and speech functions at any age stage without the appearance of pathological syndromes. This type of delay is not associated with brain damage and can be easily corrected. With age, it is compensated under favorable environmental conditions without treatment.

With a specific delay in psychomotor development, disturbances in the formation of motor, mental and speech functions associated with damage to brain structures manifest as pathological syndromes and are not compensated on their own. Specific retardation of psychomotor development may occur as a result of exposure to hypoxic-ischemic, traumatic, infectious and toxic factors, metabolic disorders, hereditary diseases, and the early onset of the schizophrenic process. At first, a specific delay in psychomotor development may be partial, but later a total (generalized) delay in psychomotor development usually develops with a uniform impairment of motor, mental and speech functions.

Characterized by increased general nervousness with excessive excitability, a tendency to startle, irritability, intolerance to harsh sounds and bright light, increased fatigue, easily occurring mood swings with a predominance of hypothymic reactions, tearfulness and anxiety. With any load, lethargy and passivity or restlessness and fussiness easily occur.

Fear darkness often occurs in young children, especially nervous and impressionable ones. It usually occurs during a night's sleep and is accompanied by nightmares. If episodes of fear are repeated at regular intervals, come on suddenly, during them the child screams desperately, does not recognize loved ones, then suddenly falls asleep, and wakes up, does not remember anything, then in this case it is necessary to exclude epilepsy.

daytime fears very varied. This is the fear of animals, characters of fairy tales and cartoons, loneliness and crowds, metro and cars, lightning and water, changes in the familiar environment and any new people, visiting preschool institutions, corporal punishment, etc. The more pretentious, ridiculous, fantastic and autistic fears are, the more suspicious they are in terms of their endogenous origin.

Pathological habits sometimes dictated by pathological drives. This is a stubborn desire to bite nails (onychophagia), suck a finger, a nipple or the tip of a blanket, a pillow, sway while sitting on a chair or in bed before going to bed (yactation), irritate the genitals. The pathology of drives can also be expressed in the persistent eating of inedible things, toys, sucking a dirty finger stained with feces. In more pronounced cases, the violation of drives manifests itself in the form of auto- or hetero-aggressiveness already from infancy, for example, in a stubborn desire to beat the head against the edge of the crib or in the constant biting of the mother's breast. These children often develop a need to torment insects or animals, aggression and sexual play with toys, a desire for everything that is dirty, disgusting, smelly, dead, etc.

Early increased sexuality may consist in the desire for peeping, the desire to touch intimate places in persons of the opposite sex. To assess the mental state of young children, features of play activity are indicative, for example, a tendency to stereotypical, strange or autistic games or games with everyday objects. Children can spend hours sorting or shifting bulbs or buttons from one container to another, tearing pieces of paper into small pieces and folding them into piles, rustling papers, playing with a stream of water or pouring water from one glass to another, building a train from shoes many times, doing a turret of pots, weaving and tying knots on strings, rolling the same car back and forth, seating only soft bunnies of different sizes and colors around you. Games with imaginary characters constitute a special group, and then they are closely fused with pathological fantasies. In this case, the children leave food or milk “for dinosaurs” in the kitchen or put candy and a soft cloth “for the gnome” on the bedside table near the bed.

Excessive fantasy is possible starting from one year and is accompanied by bright, but fragmentary figurative representations. It is distinguished by its special grasp, difficult return to reality, persistence, fixation on the same characters or topics, autistic workload, lack of desire to tell parents about them in their free time, reincarnation not only into living, but also into inanimate objects (gate, house , flashlight), combined with ridiculous collecting (for example, bird excrement, dirty plastic bags).

The main types of mental disorders that are characteristic of adults are found in childhood and adolescents. Timely diagnosis in this case is of great importance, since it affects the treatment and further prognosis of the development of severe psychopathology. Mental disorders in school-age children are most often limited to the following categories: schizophrenia, anxiety, and social behavior disorders. Also, adolescents often have psychosomatic disorders that do not have organic causes.

Most common in adolescence are mood disorders (depressions), which can have the most dangerous consequences. At this time, his whole existence seems hopeless to a teenager, he sees everything in black colors. A fragile psyche is the cause of suicidal thoughts among young people. This problem has acquired important, including medical significance.

In most cases, depression begins with the child's complaints about his neuropsychic state and subjective feelings. The teenager is isolated from others and withdraws into himself. He feels inferior, depressed and often aggressive. His critical attitude towards himself further exacerbates the severe mental state. If a teenager is not provided with medical care at this moment, then you can lose him.

The first signs of a mental disorder in children can indicate a problem:

  • The child's behavior changes for no apparent reason.
  • Performance is deteriorating.
  • There is also a constant feeling of fatigue.
  • The child moves away, withdraws into himself, can lie idle for days on end.
  • Shows increased aggressiveness, irritability, tearfulness.
  • The child does not share experiences, becomes detached, forgetful, ignores requests. He is silent all the time, does not dedicate to his affairs and gets irritated if he is asked about them.
  • Suffers from bulimia or a complete lack of appetite.

The list can be continued, but if a teenager has most of the listed signs, then you should immediately contact a specialist. Childhood mental disorders should be treated by a doctor who specializes in the treatment of adolescent psychopathology. Treatment of depression most often involves a combination of pharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions.

Schizophrenia

Timely detection and pharmacotherapy of the initial stage of schizophrenia in childhood and adolescence improves the prognosis in the future. The early signs of this disorder are vague and similar to common puberty problems. However, after a few months, the picture changes, and the pathology becomes more distinct.

It is believed that schizophrenia is always manifested by delusions or hallucinations. In fact, the early signs of schizophrenia can range from obsessions, anxiety disorders to emotional deprivation, and so on.

Signs of a mental disorder in school-age children and adolescents:

  • The child's warm feelings towards parents weaken, the personality changes. There is groundless aggression, anger, irritation, although relationships with peers may remain the same.
  • Initial symptoms can be expressed in the form of a loss of past interests and hobbies, in the absence of new ones. Such children may wander aimlessly down the street or loaf without leaving the house.
  • In parallel, the lower instincts are weakened. Patients lose interest in food. They don't feel hungry and may skip meals. In addition, teenagers become sloppy, forget to change dirty things.

A characteristic sign of pathology is a sharp decline in academic performance and loss of interest in school life. Personality change is accompanied by unmotivated aggression. As the disease progresses, the symptoms become more pronounced, and the specialist will be able to easily recognize the signs of schizophrenia.

Psychosomatic disorders

In adolescence, psychosomatic disorders often occur: pain in the abdomen or head, sleep disorders. These somatic problems are caused by psychological causes associated with age-related changes in the body.

Stress and nervous tension caused by school and family troubles result in a teenager in poor health. The student has difficulty falling asleep in the evening or waking up too early in the morning. In addition, he may suffer from nightmares, enuresis, or sleepwalking. All of these disorders are indications for seeking medical attention.

Schoolchildren, both girls and boys, often suffer from obsessive headaches. In girls, this is sometimes associated with a certain period of the menstrual cycle. But mostly they occur without organic causes. They are caused by psychosomatic disorders as in respiratory diseases.

Painful sensations are caused by an increase in muscle tone, and prevent the child from doing normal schoolwork and doing homework.

Examination of children up to 6 years

Evaluation is a more complex task than examining an adult patient. Toddlers lack the language and cognitive capacity to describe their emotions and feelings. Thus, the doctor should rely mainly only on the data of observation of the child by parents and caregivers.

The first signs of a mental disorder in preschool children:

  • Nervous and mental disorders after 2 years arise due to the fact that the mother limits the independence of the child and overprotects him, continuing to breastfeed the grown baby. Such a child is shy, dependent on the mother, and often lags behind peers in the development of skills.
  • At the age of 3 years, mental disorders are expressed in increased fatigue, capriciousness, irritability, tearfulness, and speech disorders. If you suppress the sociability and activity of a three-year-old child, this can lead to isolation, autism. In the future, there may be problems in interaction with peers.
  • Neurotic reactions in 4-year-old children are expressed in protest against the will of adults and hypertrophied stubbornness.
  • The reason for seeking medical help for disorders in a 5-year-old child is the occurrence of symptoms such as the impoverishment of vocabulary, the loss of previously acquired skills, the refusal of role-playing games and joint activities with peers.

When assessing the mental state of babies, we must not forget that they develop within the family framework, and this greatly affects the behavior of the child.

A mentally normal child who lives in a family of alcoholics and is periodically subjected to violence may have signs of mental disorders. Fortunately, in most cases, childhood mental disorders are mild and respond well to treatment. In severe forms of pathology, treatment is carried out by a qualified child psychiatrist.

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Mental disorders in children arise due to special factors that provoke violations in the development of the child's psyche. The mental health of children is so vulnerable that the clinical manifestations and their reversibility depend on the age of the baby and the duration of exposure to special factors.

The decision to consult a child with a psychotherapist, as a rule, is not easy for parents. In the understanding of parents, this means the recognition of suspicions that the child has neuropsychiatric disorders. Many adults are afraid of registering a baby, as well as the limited forms of education associated with this, and in the future a limited choice of profession. For this reason, parents often try not to notice the peculiarities of behavior, development, oddities, which are usually manifestations of mental disorders in children.

If parents are inclined to believe that the child should be treated, then at first, as a rule, attempts are made to treat neuropsychiatric disorders with home remedies or advice from familiar healers. After unsuccessful independent attempts to improve the condition of the offspring, the parents decide to seek qualified help. Turning to a psychiatrist or psychotherapist for the first time, parents often try to do this anonymously, unofficially.

Responsible adults should not hide from problems and, when recognizing early signs of neuropsychiatric disorders in children, consult a doctor in a timely manner and then follow his recommendations. Every parent should have the necessary knowledge in the field of neurotic disorders in order to prevent deviations in the development of their child and, if necessary, seek help at the first sign of a disorder, since the issues that relate to the mental health of babies are too serious. It is unacceptable to experiment in treatment on your own, so you should contact specialists in time for advice.

Often, parents attribute mental disorders in children to age, implying that the child is still small and does not understand what is happening to him. Often this condition is perceived as a common manifestation of whims, however, modern experts argue that mental disorders are very noticeable with the naked eye. Often these deviations are reflected negatively on the social opportunities of the baby and his development. With timely seeking help, some disorders can be completely cured. If suspicious symptoms are detected in a child in the early stages, serious consequences can be prevented.

Mental disorders in children are divided into 4 classes:

  • developmental delays;
  • early childhood;
  • attention deficit disorder.

Causes of mental disorders in children

The appearance of mental disorders can be caused by various reasons. Doctors say that all sorts of factors can influence their development: psychological, biological, socio-psychological.

The provoking factors are: genetic predisposition to mental illness, incompatibility in the type of temperament of the parent and child, limited intelligence, brain damage, family problems, conflicts, traumatic events. Last but not least is family education.

Mental disorders in children of primary school age often arise due to the divorce of parents. Often the chance of developing mental disorders in children from single-parent families, or if one of the parents has a history of mental illness, is often increased. To determine what kind of help you need to give your baby, you should accurately determine the cause of the problem.

Symptoms of mental disorders in children

These disorders in a baby are diagnosed by the following symptoms:

  • tics, obsession syndrome;
  • ignoring the established rules, ;
  • for no apparent reason, often changing mood;
  • decreased interest in active games;
  • slow and unusual body movements;
  • deviations associated with impaired thinking;

The periods of greatest susceptibility to mental and nervous disorders occur during age-related crises, which cover the following age periods: 3-4 years, 5-7 years, 12-18 years. From this it is clear that adolescence and childhood are the right time for the development of psychogenies.

Mental disorders in children under one year old are due to the existence of a limited range of negative and positive needs (signals) that babies must satisfy: pain, hunger, sleep, the need to cope with natural needs.

All these needs are of vital importance and cannot be satisfied, therefore, the more pedantically parents follow the regimen, the faster a positive stereotype is developed. Failure to satisfy one of the needs can lead to a psychogenic cause, and the more violations are noted, the more severe the deprivation. In other words, the reaction of a baby up to a year is due to the motives for satisfying instincts and, of course, in the very first place - this is the instinct of self-preservation.

Mental disorders in children of 2 years old are noted if the mother maintains an excessive connection with the child, thereby contributing to infantilization and inhibition of its development. Such attempts by the parent, creating obstacles to the self-affirmation of the baby, can lead to frustration, as well as elementary psychogenic reactions. While maintaining a sense of overdependence on the mother, the passivity of the child develops. Such behavior with additional stress can take on a pathological character, which often happens in children who are insecure and shy.

Mental disorders in children of 3 years old reveal themselves in capriciousness, disobedience, vulnerability, increased fatigue, irritability. It is necessary to carefully suppress the growing activity of a baby at the age of 3, since in this way it is possible to contribute to a lack of communication and a deficit of emotional contact. A lack of emotional contact can lead to (isolation), speech disorders (delayed development of speech, refusal to communicate or speech contact).

Mental disorders in children of 4 years old are manifested in stubbornness, in protest against the authority of adults, in psychogenic breakdowns. There are also internal tensions, discomfort, sensitivity to deprivation (restriction), which causes.

The first neurotic manifestations in 4-year-old children are found in behavioral reactions of refusal and protest. Minor negative impacts are enough to disturb the mental balance of the baby. The baby is able to respond to pathological situations, negative events.

Mental disorders in children of 5 years old reveal themselves in advance of the mental development of their peers, especially if the interests of the baby become one-sided. The reason for seeking help from a psychiatrist should be the loss of previously acquired skills by the baby, for example: aimlessly rolls cars, vocabulary becomes poorer, becomes untidy, stops role-playing games, communicates little.

Mental disorders in children 7 years of age are associated with the preparation and admission to school. Instability of mental balance, fragility of the nervous system, readiness for psychogenic disorders may be present in children aged 7 years. The basis for these manifestations is a tendency to psychosomatic asthenization (disturbances in appetite, sleep, fatigue, dizziness, reduced performance, a tendency to fear) and overwork.

Classes at school then become the cause of neurosis when the requirements for the child do not correspond to his abilities and he lags behind in school subjects.

Mental disorders in children aged 12-18 are manifested in the following features:

Tendency to sharp mood swings, anxiety, melancholy, anxiety, negativism, impulsiveness, conflict, aggressiveness, inconsistency of feelings;

Sensitivity to others' assessment of their strength, appearance, skills, abilities, excessive self-confidence, excessive criticality, disregard for the judgments of adults;

Combination of sensitivity with callousness, irritability with painful shyness, desire for recognition with independence;

Rejection of generally accepted rules and the deification of random idols, as well as sensual fantasy with dry sophistication;

Schizoid and cycloid;

The desire for philosophical generalizations, a tendency to extreme positions, the internal inconsistency of the psyche, the egocentrism of youthful thinking, the uncertainty of the level of claims, the inclination to theorizing, maximalism in assessments, the variety of experiences associated with awakening sexual desire;

Intolerance to guardianship, unmotivated mood swings.

Often the protest of adolescents grows into ridiculous opposition and senseless stubbornness to any reasonable advice. Self-confidence and arrogance develop.

Signs of a mental disorder in children

The likelihood of developing mental disorders in children at different ages varies. Given that the mental development of children is uneven, then at certain periods it becomes disharmonic: some functions are formed faster than others.

Signs of a mental disorder in children can manifest themselves in the following manifestations:

Feeling of isolation and deep sadness, lasting more than 2-3 weeks;

Attempts to kill or harm yourself;

All-consuming fear for no reason, accompanied by rapid breathing and a strong heartbeat;

Participation in numerous fights, the use of weapons with the desire to harm someone;

Uncontrolled, violent behavior that harms both oneself and others;

Refusing to eat, using laxatives, or throwing away food in order to lose weight;

Severe anxiety that interferes with normal activities;

Difficulty concentrating, as well as the inability to sit still, which is a physical danger;

Alcohol or drug use;

Severe mood swings leading to relationship problems

Changes in behavior.

Based on these signs alone, it is difficult to establish an accurate diagnosis, so parents should, having discovered the above manifestations, contact a psychotherapist. These signs do not necessarily have to appear in babies with mental disabilities.

Treatment of mental problems in children

For help in choosing a method of treatment, you should contact a child psychiatrist or psychotherapist. Most disorders require long-term treatment. For the treatment of small patients, the same drugs are used as for adults, but in smaller doses.

How to treat mental disorders in children? Effective in the treatment of antipsychotics, anti-anxiety drugs, antidepressants, various stimulants and mood stabilizers. Of great importance is: parental attention and love. Parents should not ignore the first signs of disorders developing in a child.

With the manifestations of incomprehensible symptoms in the behavior of the child, you can get advice on exciting issues from child psychologists.

Doctor of the Medical and Psychological Center "PsychoMed"

The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and cannot replace professional advice and qualified medical assistance. At the slightest suspicion of a mental disorder in a child, be sure to consult a doctor!

The child's psyche is very sensitive and easily vulnerable, so a lot of provoking factors can cause mental disorders at such a young age. The clinical severity of symptoms, their duration and reversibility depend on the age of the child and the duration of the traumatic events.

Often, adults attribute the pathology of development and behavior to the age of the child, believing that over the years his condition can normalize. Oddities in the mental state are usually attributed to childhood whims, age-related infantilism and a lack of understanding of things happening around. Although in fact, all these manifestations may indicate problems with the psyche.

It is customary to distinguish four groups of mental disorders in children:

  • autism spectrum disorders;
  • mental retardation;
  • attention deficit disorder.

What can cause a mental disorder?

Mental disorders in childhood can be caused by many reasons. A child's mental health is affected by psychological, social and biological factors.

This includes:

  • genetic predisposition to the occurrence of mental illness;
  • organic brain damage;
  • conflicts in the family and at school;
  • dramatic life events;
  • stress.

Children can often react neurotically to their parents' divorce. In addition, the likelihood of developing mental problems is higher in children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The presence of a sick relative can lead to mental disorders. In this case, the cause of the disease can affect the tactics and duration of further treatment.

How do mental disorders manifest in children?

Symptoms of mental illness are:

  • fears, phobias, increased anxiety;
  • nervous tics;
  • obsessive movements;
  • aggressive behavior;
  • mood lability, emotional imbalance;
  • loss of interest in familiar games;
  • slowness of body movements;
  • thinking disorders;
  • isolation, depressive mood for two weeks or longer;
  • auto: self-harming and suicidal attempts;
  • , which are accompanied by tachycardia and rapid breathing;
  • symptoms of anorexia: refusal to eat, inducing vomiting, taking laxatives;
  • problems concentrating, hyperactive behavior;
  • addiction to alcohol and drugs;
  • changes in behavior, sudden changes in the character of the child.

Children are more prone to nervous disorders during age-related crises, namely at the age of 3-4 years, 5-7 years and 12-18 years.

At the age of up to one year, psychogenic reactions are the result of dissatisfaction with the main vital needs: sleep and food. At 2-3 years old, children may begin to suffer due to excessive attachment to the mother, which leads to infantilization and inhibition of development. At 4-5 years of age, mental illness can manifest itself in nihilistic behavior and protest reactions.

It is also worth being wary if the child shows degradation in development. For example, the baby's vocabulary is depleted, he loses already acquired skills, becomes less sociable and ceases to take care of himself.

At the age of 6-7 years, school is a stressful factor. Often, mental disorders in these children are manifested psychosomatically by a deterioration in appetite and sleep, fatigue, headaches and dizziness.

In adolescence (12-18 years), mental disorders have their own characteristics of symptoms:

  • The child becomes prone to melancholy, anxiety, or vice versa to aggressiveness, conflict. A common feature is emotional instability.
  • A teenager shows vulnerability to other people's opinions, assessments from the outside, excessive self-criticism or inflated self-esteem, disregard for the advice of adults.
  • Schizoid and cyclical.
  • Children demonstrate youthful maximalism, theorizing, philosophizing, many internal contradictions.

It must be remembered that the above symptoms do not always indicate the presence of a mental illness. Only a specialist can understand the situation and determine the diagnosis.

Methods of treatment

It is usually very difficult for parents to decide on a visit to a psychotherapist. Recognition of mental disorders in a child is often associated with various limitations in the future, ranging from the need to attend a special school to a limited choice of specialty. Because of this, changes in behavior, developmental features and oddities of character, which can be symptoms of mental dysfunctions, are often ignored.

If parents want to somehow solve the problem, then treatment often begins at home using alternative medicine. Only after long failures and deterioration of the health of the offspring does the first visit to a qualified medical specialist occur.

Therefore, family members should be sufficiently aware of the signs of mental dysfunction in order to be able to identify deviations in their child in time and seek medical help. You should not try to treat the child on your own, because the mental health of the baby may depend on a timely visit to a specialist.

Only a child psychiatrist, a psychiatrist or a psychotherapist, can choose the right treatment. Most disorders are treated for a long time. Children are usually prescribed the same medicines as adults, but the dose is adjusted according to age.

Antipsychotics and stimulants are recognized as effective. It plays a huge role, because parents should know how to behave with a sick child and how important it is to surround him with attention and love.

Health

To help children who have not been diagnosed with a mental disorder, researchers have released a list of 11 warning, easily recognizable signs that can be used by parents and others.

This list is intended to help bridge the gap between the number of children suffering from mental illness and those who actually receive treatment.

Studies have shown that three out of four children with mental health problems, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, eating disorders and bipolar disorder, go unnoticed and not receive proper treatment.

Parents who notice any of the warning signs should see a pediatrician or mental health professional for a psychiatric evaluation. The researchers hope that the proposed list of symptoms help parents distinguish between normal behavior and signs of mental illness.

"Many people cannot be sure if their child has a problem.," says Dr. Peter S. Jensen(Dr. Peter S. Jensen), professor of psychiatry. " If a person has a “yes” or “no” answer, then it is easier for him to make a decision.."

Identifying a mental disorder in adolescence will also allow children to receive treatment earlier, making it more effective. For some children, it can take up to 10 years from when symptoms appear to when they start receiving treatment.

To compile the list, the committee reviewed studies on mental disorders that included more than 6,000 children.

Here are 11 warning signs of mental disorders:

1. Feelings of deep sadness or withdrawal that last more than 2-3 weeks.

2. Serious attempts to harm or kill yourself, or plans to do so.

3. Sudden, all-consuming fear for no reason, sometimes accompanied by a strong heartbeat and rapid breathing.

4. Participation in a lot of fights, including the use of weapons, or the desire to harm someone.

5. Violent, out of control behavior that could harm yourself or others.

6. Refusing food, throwing away food, or using laxatives to lose weight.

7. Strong anxieties and fears that interfere with normal activities.

8. Severe difficulty concentrating or being unable to sit still, which puts you in physical danger or causes you to fail.

9. Repeated use of drugs and alcohol.

10. Severe mood swings that lead to relationship problems.

11. Abrupt changes in behavior or personality

These signs are not a diagnosis, and for an accurate diagnosis, parents should consult a specialist. In addition, the researchers explained that these signs do not necessarily appear in children with mental disorders.