Some
Warning Signs of Emotional Problems
In an adult:
A
person with one or more of the following symptoms should be
evaluated by a psychiatrist or other physician as soon as
possible:
- Marked
personality change
- Inability
to cope with problems and daily activities
- Strange
or grandiose ideas
- Excessive
anxieties
- Prolonged
depression and apathy
- Marked
changes in eating or sleeping patterns
- Extreme
highs and lows
- Abuse
of alcohol or drugs
- Excessive
anger, hostility, or violent behavior
- A person
who is thinking or talking about suicide or homicide should
seek help immediately
In
a child:
Having only one or two of the problems listed below is not
necessarily cause for alarm. They may simply indicate that
a practical solution is called for, such as more consistent
discipline or a visit with the child's teachers or guidance
counselor to see whether there is anything out of the ordinary
going on at school. A combination of symptoms, however, is
a signal for professional intervention.
- The
child seems overwhelmed and troubled by his or her feelings,
unable to cope with them.
- The
child cries a lot.
- The
child frequently asks or hints for help.
- The
child seems constantly preoccupied, worried, anxious, and
intense. Some children develop a fear of a variety of things--rain,
barking dogs, burglars, their parents' getting killed when
out of sight, and so on--while other children simply wear
their anxiety on their faces.
- The
child has fears or phobias that are unreasonable or interfere
with normal activities.
- The
child can't seem to concentrate on schoolwork and other
age-appropriate tasks.
- The
child's school performance declines and doesn't pick up
again.
- The
child's teachers, school administrators, or other authority
figures in the child's life ask the parent what might be
troubling the child.
- The
child is having difficulty mastering school work.
- Teachers
suggest that the child may have a learning disability or
other type of school-related problem.
- The
child loses interest in playing.
- The
child tries to stimulate himself or herself in various ways.
Examples of this kind of behavior include excessive thumb
sucking or hair pulling, rocking of the body, head banging
to the point of hurting himself, and masturbating often
or in public.
- The
child has no friends and gets into fights with other youngsters.
Teachers or others may report that "this is a very
angry or disruptive kid."
- The
child isolates himself or herself from other people.
- The
child regularly talks about death and dying.
- The
child appears to have low self-esteem and little self-confidence.
Over and over the child may make such comments as: "I
can't do anything right." "I'm so stupid."
"I don't see why anyone would love me." "I
know you [or someone else] hates me." "Nobody
likes me." "I'm ugly. . . too big. . . too small.
. . too fat. . . too skinny. . . too tall. . . too short,
etc."
- Sleep
difficulties don't appear to be resolving. They include
refusing to be separated from one or both parents at bedtime,
inability to sleep, sleeping too much, sleeping on the parent's
or parents' bed, nightmares, and night terrors.
- The
child begins to act in a provocatively sexual manner. This
is more common in girls as they approach puberty and thereafter,
but even much younger girls may flirt with men in sexually
suggestive ways.
- The
child sets fires.
Some symptoms
or reactions are so serious that a pediatrician or a psychiatrist
should be consulted immediately:
- The
child talks about suicide. Children don't talk idly about
suicide to get attention. Once they have begun to talk about
it, they also may have begun to plan a way to do it.
- The
child appears to be accident prone. In younger children
a succession of accidents can become the equivalent of suicide
attempts.
- The
child mutilates himself in some way--cutting or scarring
himself, pulling out his hair, or biting fingernails until
nail beds bleed.
- The
child mutilates or kills animals.
- The
child's eating habits change to the point that his weight
is affected. This can be caused by either overeating or
undereating.
- The
child adopts ritualistic behaviors. This is indicative of
obsessive-compulsive disorder. A child may have to line
up her toys in a certain way every night, for example, or
get ready for bed following a routine that never varies.
If she forgets one item in the routine, she must start all
over again.
- The
child beats up others--another child, a parent, or other
adult.
- The
child is using alcohol or other drugs.
- The
child is sexually active or on the verge of becoming so.
Again, this is rare in children 12 and under but certainly
not unheard of, especially since there is great pressure
on kids today to become sexually active at progressively
earlier ages. When children are depressed or their self-esteem
is low, they may be more vulnerable to that pressure. Also,
if they are still hurting from feelings of rejection and
loneliness related to the divorce, they may be searching
for love and affection and have a need to prove their lovability.
(See American
Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychology)
(Information
from APA's How to choose a Psychiatrist Pamphlet)
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