Until 1980, the medical establishment believed depression did not exist in children. Some practitioners are still not trained to recognize it. Parents are often the first to realize something's wrong when their children withdraw into themselves...
Children experience many of the same mental health issues as adults. Because children often cannot articulate that something is wrong, these problems may manifest as behavioral issues. According to Mental Health America, childhood mental health...
During the first year after birth, children are more emotionally complex and sensitive than many adults may realize. However, babies cannot always communicate their feelings with the clarity and precision that adults would generally prefer. In...
The brain may well be the final frontier of biology. Though prominent psychologists and psychoanalysts have developed and expanded theories of psychological development, there are still many aspects of brain development and function that science...
In honor of World Mental Health Day, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stated in 2008, "Let us recognize that there can be no health without mental health." His speech precipitated an appeal by the World Health Organization for...
Child development encompasses all aspects, including physical, emotional and mental stages. Jean Piaget, a developmental psychologist renowned for his theory of cognitive development, identified four primary mental stages. Mental or cognitive...
Sensory diets control exposure to specific sensations for individuals with sensory integration dysfunction. People suffering from this neurological condition experience an abnormal chemical reaction to sensory input, resulting in disruptive...
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, often referred to as ADHD or ADD, is the most common childhood mental health disorder, affecting approximately 2 million children in the United States, according to the American Academy of Child and...
Elementary students spend large quantities of time indoors doing schoolwork, homework and, often, playing video games, watching TV or using the computer for recreational time. Typically, these daily activities are highly sedentary and consume...
Junk food is the common name for fast food, which is a dietary product that has high amount of calories, low nutritional value and lacks essential nutrients. Junk food is highly processed and contains a number of additives, such as synthetic...
Oppositional defiant disorder is a childhood mental health disorder characterized by difficulty regulating and controlling emotions. Children with this disorder have little regard for those in positions of authority. They tend to be aggressive...
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is one of the most commonly experienced disorders of childhood, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. ADHD can continue beyond childhood, into adolescence and adulthood and is...
Children are sometimes thought to have behavioral problems when their behavior does not meet with parental or societal expectations. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, behavioral problems should be determined by how disruptive...
The mental health community's recognition that children may have bipolar disorder is a recent development. Since the mid-1990's extensive research was completed confirming that children may suffer from this disorder. According to the National...
Depression that starts during early childhood is a serious mental health concern because it affects the child's mood and her ability to function normally at home and at school. Dr. Jay L. Hoecker of the Mayo Clinic and author of the article...
Aggressive behavior in children can result from many different psychosocial and psychological issues, but can also be a normal stage for many children as they navigate social norms. Parents can help their child develop socially acceptable ways to...
Successful family intervention techniques rely on the counselor or intervention specialist to understand the cultural leanings of the family, the underlying relationships, type of crisis the family is undergoing and the roles of each family...
For a variety of reasons, children develop mental, behavioral and emotional problems that can be extraordinarily disruptive and destructive to the child, family and community. Children may argue, fight and sulk; habitually violate rules at home or...
Parents of children with ADD, also referred to as ADHD or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, report their kids lack focus, often forgetting things, moving quickly from one activity to the next, daydreaming and failing to follow...
According to the Center for Disease Control's National Center for Health Statistics, problems with obesity can affect children as young as two, with 11 percent of 2- to 5-year-olds being considered obese. Additionally, 15 percent of 6- to...
Early childhood is a time for developing the capacity to regulate emotions, forming bonds in relationships and exploring one's environment. Primary tasks during this time are centered around establishing trust and security in the world. Events...
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), a complex variety of factors can create risks for violence in a relationship. There are long-term influences such as childhood exposure to abuse and mental health issues such as depression...
A child is diagnosed with an anxiety disorder if feelings of fear and worry significantly affect her life. Untreated anxiety disorder can cause problems in school and among peers, as well as affect the child's self-esteem, according to the...
Children are naturally aggressive. Aggression is an inborn proclivity selected across evolutionary time that allows children to adapt to potentially harsh and dangerous environments. However, the intemperate aggression that a child unleashes when...
Recognizing and diagnosing childhood depression is difficult. Many signs of depression in a child are often attributed to the normal mood swings of a child growing up. Understanding the signs of childhood depression can help you get a child mental...
Claustrophobia is categorized as an anxiety disorder and specific phobia that typically begins in childhood. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that over 19 million adults have a form of a specific phobia, including claustrophobia....
ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a condition that causes patients to have problems with focus and concentration as well as with impulsive or hyperactive behavior. Although this condition is primarily thought of as a childhood...
Childhood anxiety is one of the most common mental, emotional and behavioral problems that occur during childhood and adolescence. The National Mental Health Information Center states that about 13 of every 100 people ages 9 to 17 experience some...
The human brain continues to develop until well into early adulthood, according to the National Institutes of Mental Health. Although rapid development occurs in the first 18 months followed by a 10-year span of formative learning time in brain...
