“All children have within them the potential to be great kids. It’s our job to create a great world where this potential can flourish.” For a child, the whole world surrounds his/her parents. Whatever they speak, whatever they learn, whatever they behave is a reflection of their parents. So, we need to give more care to their development and mental health which is far greater than their grades.
What leads to these Disorders?
Basically mental health problems result in behavioural and emotional disorders and these are nothing but disturbances in a children’s thinking or feeling. The American psychiatric association defines mental illness as a health condition that involves ‘changes in emotion, thinking, or behaviour or a combination of these.
These problems are increasing at a faster pace in this covid environment. Children are not able to go to the parks, play with their friends, go to school, they are just forced to stay home. In this condition, they are not getting a healthy environment to grow up in. it has been indicated that this pandemic may have a long-term effect on children and adolescents as compared to adults. This lockdown has a great impact on the social and emotional development of the children.
What kind of disorder is faced by children?
Some children show extremely challenging and surprising behaviour that is totally out of the norm of their age. In this condition, they can suffer from any of the behavioural mental disorders namely Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Conduct Disorder (CD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Also, it is seen that boys generally suffer more from these disorders as compared to girls. Let us discuss them in details:
OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER (ODD)
Around 10% of the children suffer from this kind of ailment ageing 10-12 years. Some of the typical behaviours they chiefly reflect are:
- Easily gets angry and disgruntled.
- Continual temper tantrums.
- Argues with parents.
- Doesn’t obey rules.
- Low self-esteem
- Low frustration threshold.
CONDUCT DISORDER (CD)
Children with this kind of disorder are generally judged as “bad kids” because of their harsh behaviour and inability to follow rules. Around 5% of children suffer from this disorder. Some of the behavioural actions are –
- Lack of empathy.
- Always in a mood for a physical fight.
- Frequent lying.
- Suicidal tendencies
- The tendency of running away from home.
ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD)
More than 2% of the children face this kind of problem. Some of the main characteristics of ADHD are-
- Inattention -finds difficulty in concentrating, forgets about tasks.
- Impulsiveness- talking above all and involving in fights.
- Constant restlessness and overactivity.
EMOTIONAL BEHAVIOURAL DISORDER
This kind of disorder affects a child’s ability to be happy and has a great impact on their emotions. Children face learning problems and find difficulty in communicating with friends and teachers. They always face a feeling of unhappiness and depression.
Treatments
If these disorders reach extremes, one should consult a counsellor, doctor, or psychiatrist. As these can lead to dangerous results. In some cases, counselling may be effective in coping children with stresses, however, medicating children at a young age is not a good option. In normal situations, some healthy habits can help in their treatment-
- Meditation: Daily meditation can help them get rid of their stresses and make them calm
- Exercises: Due to Covid 19 situation, children are not allowed to play outside, so they need to exercise or practice yoga at home with their parents.
- Healthy eating habits: Healthy balanced diet can cure all the inner disorders which results in extra stress.
- Family time: the most important and vital need is to spend quality family time with children. Parents should give time to their children and try to understand their problems and inabilities.
In this situation, parents should take the utmost care of their children. They should keep their children in contact with their friends through video calls. This will make them happy and lower their stress. Parents should also play indoor games with their kids and make them study in a fun way. Avoid being judgemental when they get distressed and want to share their feelings. Our small steps can bring a great change in children’s behaviour. According to James pierce, “the mind reflects the world and the world reflects the mind”. The mind can create and also can destroy. So, it is our responsibility to keep our minds healthy and sound.
By- Sanchayita Chattopadhyay
