Table of contents:

1. Child psychopathology: mood and behavioural disorders
2. Alarming signs in child psychiatry: nutrition
3. Children get addicted too: psychoactive substances in child psychiatry
4. Other worrying problems in child and adolescent psychopathology

That parents should know when a fever is worrying, or know the symptoms of dehydration, probably needs no convincing. But should parents also be familiar with the slightly different complaints of mental illness in children and adolescents? The answer is definitely yes, just to cite the figures here. Well, according to the British Mental Health Foundation, in up to 70% of underage patients with mental health disorders, therapeutic interventions are not implemented at an early enough age - this simply has to change.

Child psychopathology: mood and behavioural disorders

Although the causes of this condition vary, everyone experiences episodes of sadness and depressed mood - children and adolescents do too. This can be referred to as a so-called 'down', and can be related, for example, to a change of school or the transition from one stage of adolescence to another. When should a deterioration in a child's mood trigger a parent's vigilance?

There are two aspects to consider: the duration of the episode and its impact on the young person's functioning. To speak of a depressive disorder, the length of the depressed mood state should exceed two weeks. In the case of the latter, it may be a matter of concern if the child neglects his or her responsibilities, stops doing activities he or she used to enjoy, or avoids contact with peers (especially if there has been contact before).

Another problem parents may encounter is compulsions. The simplest way to explain this term is to feel compelled to do certain activities with a subsequent sense of relief. The range of activities that can be compulsions is extremely wide - for example, the constant need to wash one's hands. The presence of such a problem may indicate the existence of an obsessive-compulsive disorder in a child - the observation of such a phenomenon should prompt you to visit a child psychiatrist with your offspring.

Alarming symptoms in child psychiatry: feeding

During the period of the so-called pubertal leap, it happens that the adolescent loses weight significantly. This is related to changes in hormonal balance and is physiological, however, weight changes should be observed by parents - one of the more common psychiatric problems among adolescents is, after all, eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia.

Just as switching to a vegetarian diet (with balanced meals) is not necessarily a cause for concern, a drastic reduction in daily calorie intake (e.g. to just a few hundred) can certainly be considered a problem. It is therefore worth keeping an eye on how much and whether the child eats at all. Sudden increases in physical activity, the use of laxatives or constant visits to the toilet immediately after a meal (in the case of an eating disorder, patients may go there to vomit the food they have eaten) should also arouse increased attention.

Children also become addicted: psychoactive substances in child psychiatry

The belief that children have difficult access to psychoactive substances is simply wrong. Adolescents, unfortunately, also use substances of this type. This is not only true for drugs and designer drugs, but also for alcohol and tobacco. The use of these substances at any age is harmful, but particularly so in adolescents, as it can have an irreversible impact on the processes of puberty and thus on the entire life of such a young person.

Just as it is relatively easy to detect that a child is under the influence of alcohol or smells cigarette smoke, it is more difficult to suspect that a child is using drugs or designer drugs. A change of company or unexplained leaving home, as well as periodically occurring states of sudden agitation or even apathy should arouse the parents' interest. There are also a number of somatic symptoms that may be convincing of psychoactive substance use - for example, a change in pupil size. Such symptoms vary depending on the type of substance used - as such topics are beyond the scope of this paper, parents can be referred to publicly available guides on the signs of psychoactive drug use.

Drug addiction, photo: panthermedia

Other worrying problems in the field of child and adolescent psychopathology

Psychologicalproblems in children can manifest themselves in a relatively unusual way, that of so-called somatisation. In the course of the phenomenon, despite the fact that the problem essentially concerns the functioning of the psyche, the complaints may originate from various systems. The substrate of unexplained, hard-to-diagnose abdominal pain or headaches in a child - even if it seems relatively strange - can really be a psychiatric disorder.

Further situations of concern may include:

• the occurrence of episodes of unjustified anxiety, accompanied, for example, by an accelerated heart rate or increased respiratory rate,
• exceptionally intense concentration disorders, resulting in impaired academic performance,
• frequently getting into fights,
• committing acts of violence against property,
• frequent occurrence of persistent thoughts that significantly affect the child's everyday functioning,
• isolation from peers,
• self-inflicted bodily harm,
• sudden, significant changes in behaviour or personality.

The issues outlined above are definitely only an outline of situations in which a visit to a child psychiatrist may be indicated. It would be most beneficial to visit a specialist whenever we have even a shadow of a suspicion of abnormalities - if these are ruled out, parents will be reassured, and if confirmed, appropriate treatment can be implemented.