What are the main mental health problems in children?

Judging from our experience in front-line psychological intervention for children, the current high-incidence mental health problems among children mainly cover emotional, neurodevelopmental, and behavioral deviations, and a small number of them are stress-induced psychological injuries caused by traumatic events.

I just received a case from the third grade of elementary school last week. The boy couldn't sit still in class, interrupted the teacher's lectures from time to time, and always had conflicts with his classmates. The school asked his parents to take him back for "discipline." Don’t think that this kind of problem is rare. We conduct community surveys every year and find that the detection rate of hyperactivity and tic disorders among school-age children is actually not low. It’s just that many of them are regarded as “naughty” and “bad habits” and are delayed.

What many parents are more likely to ignore are emotional issues, always thinking "what can be annoying about children?" There used to be a second-grade girl who kept complaining of headaches and stomachaches. Her mother took her to the pediatrician three times for check-ups. She checked her whole body and no organic problems were found. Finally, she was transferred to us. After talking to her three times, she found out that she was suffering from separation anxiety. When she was away from school, her mother would have a somatization reaction. In severe cases, she would even vomit. The detection rate of depression and anxiety in children has indeed increased in the past two years. The youngest case of depression we have seen is only 7 years old. Her parents have long compared her with her relatives' "sisters who are the top students". She gradually becomes unwilling to talk. She refuses to go to her favorite amusement park. She has not been able to sleep well for more than a month. The teacher reported that she was always distracted in class, and the parents realized that something was wrong.

There is also a type of behavioral deviation problems that can easily be misjudged as "children with bad moral character", such as truancy, habitual lying, and aggressive behavior. Many times, the psychological needs behind them are not seen. There used to be a fourth-grade boy who always stole stationery and snacks from his classmates. When his parents found out, they punished him by kneeling down. As a result, the stealing became more and more frequent. Later, when we talked, we found out that his parents were busy with business and almost never asked him what he wanted. They even forgot his birthday twice. Stealing things was actually his subconscious way of asking for attention, and he had no use for the things he took back.

There is actually a lot of controversy in the industry now. Some scholars believe that the current diagnostic threshold for children's psychological problems is too wide, and many normal mood swings in the growth stage are classified as illnesses, which can easily cause unnecessary psychological burden on children.； Some practitioners like us who have been on the front line for a long time feel that most families now do not have enough knowledge about children's mental health. Many children who really need intervention are delayed by the excuse that "all children are like this". Both opinions are actually reasonable. The key point is to make a specific judgment based on the child's state. If the abnormal state lasts for more than two weeks and has affected normal schooling, eating, and sleeping, then you must pay more attention. Don't label the child casually, and don't ignore it.

The psychology of children is actually similar to that of a young sapling that has just sprouted. It is normal for it to be blown a little crooked by the wind occasionally. If it is severely crooked, it can be straightened out in time. The most fearful thing is that adults will not notice that it is crooked at all. It will take a lot of effort to straighten the root after it has grown crooked.