A child who throws excessive tantrums may simply be angry, or he may be suffering from a chemical imbalance in his brain. According to Dr. Alexandra Delis-Abrams, children who demonstrate violent and aggressive behavior must always be taken seriously. If you have exhausted your patience for listening to and reasoning with your child's anger, a child psychologist or psychiatrist can help you determine if a chemical imbalance is present.
Rage vs. Anger
Children, like adults, have periods of frustration and anger. A child who breaks a toy may scream in anger, but one who becomes physically violent as a result is expressing rage. Rage may make you or others fearful of being in your child's presence. Children in the throes of rage bite, hit, kick or destroy the property of others. An older child experiencing rage may accuse you of abuse and threaten to call the police when you attempt to set limits. Rage is completely out of proportion to the stimulus that invoked it.
Mood Disorders
Two commonly known mood disorders found to exist in childhood are depression and bipolar disorder. PsychCentral.com reports that mood disorders have a chemical basis, citing a study by the Canadian-based Centre for Addiction and Mental Health that proved the enzyme monoamine oxidase, which breaks down the neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, was higher in those with untreated depression. Depression can be a precursor to a manic episode that warrants a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Bipolar children often experience poor impulse control, night terrors and trouble regulating the sleep/wake cycle.
Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a thought disorder that occurs on a spectrum of similar conditions in children. The illness is characterized by hallucinations, delusions and paranoia. According to MayoClinic.com, a growing body of research indicates that a combination of genetics, environment and neurotransmitter imbalance leads to the brain dysfunction inherent in childhood schizophrenia. A schizophrenic child may lash out in a rage because he hears voices telling him to hurt himself or others.
Intermittent Explosive Disorder
Intermittent explosive disorder presents as a propensity for impulsive acts of aggression, as opposed to planned attacks. Minddisorders.com reports that this is largely a disorder of exclusion, meaning the diagnosis is given only after other diagnoses have been ruled out. The serotonergic system, the pathway by which serotonin travels through the brain, regulates behavioral and impulse control.
Positron emission tomography, or PET scans, have shown that children with intermittent explosive disorder may have a defect in brain glucose metabolism.
Medication and Therapy
Some children with rage disorders appear to benefit from cognitive-behavioral therapy, in which they are taught to identify situations that make them angry and learn positive coping skills for dealing with them. Others may require treatment with psychiatric medication, the use of which remains controversial in children. According to MayoClinic.com, the same antipsychotic medications used for schizophrenic adults have been successfully used in schizophrenic kids. However, these medications are still too new for their long-term effects to be entirely evident, and doctors who prescribe them to children are still doing so as an off-label use.
