10 early warning signs of depression in children

vietnamnet.vn• November 30, 2020 07:38

Up to 30% of children have mental disorders. If not detected early, children can self-harm and attempt suicide.

Figures from the World Health Organization show that 20% of children and adolescents havemental disorder, including depression, anxiety, stress, behavioral disorders, 50% of which begin by age 14.

In there,depressionis one of the leading causes of illness and disability in adolescents and the third leading cause of death in the 15-19 age group.

Dr. Do Minh Loan - Head of the Department of Adolescent Health, National Children's Hospital said that in Vietnam, many studies have been conducted, showing that the rate of mental disorders in children and adolescents ranges from 8-29%. This is a group whose psychology and physiology are not yet fully developed, so they are susceptible to school-age disorders.

Rối loạn tâm thần ở trẻ thường diễn ra nhiều năm, do đó cha mẹ, nhà trường cần lưu tâm để phát hiện sớm

Mental disorders in children often last for many years, so parents and schools need to pay attention to detect them early.

Therefore, Dr. Loan believes that families and schools need to pay attention to 10 signs of abnormal psychology in children to detect and treat them early to help them overcome the disorders:

The first, children show signs of mood changes such as feeling sad, withdrawn, and not wanting to interact.

Monday, have strong emotions such as overwhelming fear, anger outbursts, extreme anxiety.

Tuesday, behavioral changes such as loss of control, frequent fighting, use of weapons...

Wednesday, difficulty concentrating, poor academic performance, changes in academic performance.

Thursday, truancy.

Friday, withdraw or avoid social interactions.

Saturday, substance abuse, use or abuse of alcohol, drugs.

Eighth, changes in eating habits, unexplained weight loss or changes in appetite.

Ninth, have physical symptoms such as frequent headaches or stomach aches.

Tenth, self-injury, self-harm, and suicide attempts.

As soon as the above abnormalities are detected in children, parents or schools need to take the child to see a psychologist for diagnosis and timely intervention.