Children's psychiatric diseases. How to know if a child is mentally ill. How not to miss a mental disorder in a child and what to do in these cases

Mental health is a very sensitive topic. Clinical manifestations depend on the age of the child and the influence of certain factors. Often, due to fear for the upcoming changes in their own lifestyle, parents do not want to notice some problems with the psyche of their child.

Many are afraid to catch the sidelong glances of their neighbors, to feel the pity of friends, to change the usual order of life. But the child has the right to qualified timely help from a doctor, which will help alleviate his condition, and in the early stages of some diseases, cure one spectrum or another.

One of the complex mental illnesses is children's. This disease is understood as an acute condition of a baby or already a teenager, which manifests itself in his incorrect perception of reality, his inability to distinguish the real from the fictitious, the inability for them to really understand what is happening.

Features of childhood psychosis

And in children they are not diagnosed as often as in adults and. Mental disorders come in different types and forms, but no matter how the disorder manifests itself, no matter what the symptoms of the disease are, psychosis significantly complicates the life of the child and his parents, makes it difficult to think correctly, control actions, and build adequate parallels in relation to established social norms.

Childhood psychotic disorders are characterized by:

Childhood psychosis has different forms and manifestations, therefore it is difficult to diagnose and treat.

Why children are prone to mental disorders

Multiple causes contribute to the development of mental disorders in babies. Psychiatrists distinguish whole groups of factors:

• genetic;
• biological;
• sociopsychological;
• psychological.

The most important provoking factor is the genetic predisposition to. Other reasons include:

• problems with intellect (and (like) with it);
• incompatibility of the temperament of the baby and the parent;
• family discord;
• conflicts between parents;
• events that left psychological trauma;
• drugs that can cause a psychotic state;
• high temperature, which can cause or;

To date, all possible causes have not been fully studied, but studies have confirmed that children with schizophrenia almost always have signs of organic brain disorders, and patients with autism are often diagnosed with the presence, which is explained by hereditary causes or trauma during childbirth.

Psychosis in young children may occur due to the divorce of parents.

At-risk groups

Thus, children are at risk:

• one of the parents had or has a mental disorder;
• who are brought up in a family where conflicts constantly arise between parents;
• transferred;
• who have undergone psychological trauma;
• whose blood relatives have mental illnesses, and the closer the degree of kinship, the greater the risk of the disease.

Varieties of psychotic disorders among children

Diseases of the child's psyche are divided according to some criteria. Depending on age, there are:

• early psychosis;
• late psychosis.

The first type includes patients from infancy (up to a year), preschool (from 2 to 6 years) and early school age (from 6-8). The second type includes patients of preadolescent (8-11) and adolescence (12-15).

Depending on the cause of the development of the disease, psychosis can be:

• exogenous- disorders caused by external factors;
• - violations provoked by the internal characteristics of the body.

Depending on the type of course of psychosis can be:

• that arose as a result of prolonged psychotrauma;
• - arising instantly and unexpectedly.

A kind of psychotic deviation is. Depending on the nature of the course and symptoms, affective disorders are:

Symptoms depending on the form of failure

Different symptoms of mental illness are justified by different forms of the disease. The usual symptoms of the disease are:

• - the baby sees, hears, feels what is not really there;
• - a person sees the existing situation in his incorrect interpretation;
• passivity, not initiative;
• aggressiveness, rudeness;
• obsession syndrome.
• deviations associated with thinking.

Psychogenic shock often occurs in children and adolescents. Reactive psychosis occurs as a result of psychological trauma.

This form of psychosis has signs and symptoms that distinguish it from other mental spectrum disorders in children:

• the reason for it is a deep emotional shock;
• reversibility - symptoms weaken with the passage of time;
• symptoms depend on the nature of the injury.

Early age

At an early age, mental health disorders manifest themselves in. The kid does not smile, in any way does not show joy on his face. Up to a year, the disorder is detected in the absence of cooing, babbling, clapping. The baby does not react to objects, people, parents.

Age crises, during which children are most susceptible to mental disorders from 3 to 4 years, from 5 to 7, from 12 to 18 years.

Mental disorders of the early period are manifested in:

• frustrations;
• capriciousness, disobedience;
• increased fatigue;
• irritability;
• lack of communication;
• lack of emotional contact.

Later in life up to adolescence

Mental problems in a 5-year-old child should worry parents if the baby loses already acquired skills, communicates little, does not want to play role-playing games, and does not take care of his appearance.

At the age of 7, the child becomes unstable in the psyche, he has a violation of appetite, unnecessary fears appear, working capacity decreases, and rapid overwork appears.

At the age of 12-18, parents need to pay attention to a teenager if he has:

• sudden mood swings;
• melancholy,;
• aggressiveness, conflict;
• , inconsistency;
• a combination of incongruous: irritability with acute shyness, sensitivity with callousness, the desire for complete independence with the desire to be always close to mom;
• schizoid;
• rejection of accepted rules;
• a penchant for philosophy and extreme positions;
• care intolerance.

More painful signs of psychosis in older children are manifested in:

Diagnostic criteria and methods

Despite the proposed list of signs of psychosis, no parent will be able to accurately diagnose it on their own. First of all, parents should show their child to a psychotherapist. But even after the first appointment with a professional, it is too early to talk about mental personality disorders. A small patient should be examined by the following doctors:

• neuropathologist;
• speech therapist;
• psychiatrist;
• a doctor who specializes in developmental diseases.

Sometimes the patient is determined in a hospital for examination and carrying out the necessary procedures and tests.

Providing professional assistance

Short-term seizures of psychosis in a child disappear immediately after the disappearance of their cause. More severe illnesses require long-term therapy, often in a hospital setting. Specialists for the treatment of childhood psychosis use the same drugs as for adults, only in suitable doses.

Treatment of psychosis and psychotic spectrum disorders in children involves:

If the parents were able to identify the failure of the psyche in their child on time, then a few consultations with a psychiatrist or psychologist are usually enough to improve the condition. But there are cases that require long-term treatment and being under the supervision of doctors.

A psychological failure in a child, which is associated with his physical condition, is cured immediately after the disappearance of the underlying disease. If the disease was provoked by an experienced stressful situation, then even after the condition improves, the baby requires special treatment and consultations from a psychotherapist.

In extreme cases, with manifestations of strong aggression, the baby may be prescribed. But for the treatment of children, the use of heavy psychotropic drugs is used only in extreme cases.

In most cases, psychoses experienced in childhood do not recur in adult life in the absence of provocative situations. Parents of recovering children should fully comply with the daily regimen, do not forget about daily walks, a balanced diet and, if necessary, take care of taking medications in a timely manner.

The baby should not be left unattended. At the slightest violation of his mental state, it is necessary to seek help from a specialist who will help to cope with the problem that has arisen.

For treatment and avoiding consequences for the child's psyche in the future, it is necessary to follow all the recommendations of specialists.

Every parent concerned about the mental health of their child should remember:

Love and care is what any person needs, especially a small and defenseless one.

Children, just like adults, often suffer from various acute or chronic mental disorders that have a negative impact on the normal development of the child, and this resulting lag is not always possible to catch up.

However, with timely access to a specialist at the very initial stages, it is possible not only to stop the development of such a disorder, but, in some cases, to completely get rid of it.

Moreover, according to experts, many deviations are easy to recognize. Each has certain characteristics that an attentive parent will definitely notice.

Today on the site "Popular about Health" we will briefly review the symptoms and types of mental disorders in children, and also find out the possible causes of their development:

The main causes of disorders

There are many factors that influence the development of mental disorders in children. The most common of them are genetic predisposition, various mental development disorders, head injuries, brain damage, etc.

In addition, problems in the family, constant conflicts and emotional upheavals (death of a loved one, divorce of parents, etc.) can serve as a cause. And this is not a complete list of reasons that affect the development of a mental disorder in a child.

Types of disorders and their symptoms

Signs of pathology depend on its type. Let us briefly list the main mental disorders in children and the main symptoms that accompany them:

Anxiety disorders

Quite a common pathology. It is expressed in a regularly arising feeling of anxiety, which eventually turns into a real problem for the child and his parents. This disorder disrupts the daily rhythm of life, affects the full development.

ZPR - delayed psychoverbal development

Among mental disorders in children, this disorder is in one of the first places. It is characterized by delayed speech and mental development. It is expressed in varying degrees of lag in the formation of personality and cognitive activity.

Hyperactivity (attention deficit)

This disorder is defined by three main symptoms:

Violation of concentration;
- excessive physical and emotional activity;
- impulsive behavior, frequent manifestations of aggression.

Pathology can be expressed by one, two or all of the described signs.

eating disorders

Anorexia, bulimia or gluttony are eating disorders that are directly related to the psyche. If left untreated, they can be fatal.

They are expressed in the fact that the child concentrates all his attention on his own weight, or on food, and therefore cannot fully fulfill his duties, cannot concentrate on anything else.

Adolescents suffering from bulimia, anorexia almost completely lose their appetite, rapidly lose weight, they have frequent urge to vomit.

Gluttony is expressed in a constant desire to eat, rapid weight gain, which also prevents the child from living a normal, fulfilling life.

Bipolar disorder

It is expressed in long periods of depression, feelings of sadness, causeless longing. Or it can be determined by sudden mood swings. In healthy people, such conditions also occur, but in the case of pathology, these signs are much more serious and manifest and are much more difficult to tolerate.

Childhood autism

The disorder is characterized by limited social communication. A characteristic symptom of this disorder is isolation, refusal to contact others. Such children are very restrained in their emotions. Disturbances in mental development affect the child's perception and understanding of the world around him.

The main distinguishing feature of autism is that such a child refuses to contact people around him, shows restrained emotions and is very withdrawn.

Schizophrenia

This pathology in children, fortunately, is quite rare - one case per 50,000 people. The main reasons include, in particular, genetic disorders. The characteristic features include:

Loss of connection with reality;
- memory losses;
- lack of orientation in time and space;
- lack of ability to build interpersonal relationships.

Common Symptoms of Psychiatric Disorders

There are clear signs of violations that should alert parents. Let's list them briefly:

Frequent changes in mood.

Long periods of sadness or anxiety.

Unreasonable pronounced emotionality, unreasonable fears, strange, obsessive repetition of certain movements.

Visible deviation in the development of thinking.

Atypical behavioral reactions, including: violation of the rules of behavior, their complete disregard, frequent manifestations of aggression, a desire to harm others or yourself, a tendency to suicide.

Finally

If parents note the atypical behavior of their child, if there are signs described above, or other violations, it is necessary to show it to a psychoneurologist or psychiatrist as soon as possible. Allied specialists are also involved in these pathologies - psychologists, behavioral doctors, social workers, etc.

The sooner a diagnosis is made and treatment is prescribed, the higher the chances of a full and healthy life in the future. In addition, the help of a specialist will help to avoid the possible development of severe mental disorders.

The child's psyche is very sensitive and easily vulnerable, so a lot of provoking factors can cause mental disorders at such a young age. The clinical severity of symptoms, their duration and reversibility depend on the age of the child and the duration of the traumatic events.

Often, adults attribute the pathology of development and behavior to the age of the child, believing that over the years his condition can normalize. Oddities in the mental state are usually attributed to childhood whims, age-related infantilism and a lack of understanding of things happening around. Although in fact, all these manifestations may indicate problems with the psyche.

It is customary to distinguish four groups of mental disorders in children:

• autism spectrum disorders;
• mental retardation;
• attention deficit disorder.

What can cause a mental disorder?

Mental disorders in childhood can be caused by many reasons. A child's mental health is affected by psychological, social and biological factors.

This includes:

• genetic predisposition to the occurrence of mental illness;
• organic brain damage;
• conflicts in the family and at school;
• dramatic life events;
• stress.

Children can often react neurotically to their parents' divorce. In addition, the likelihood of developing mental problems is higher in children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The presence of a sick relative can lead to mental disorders. In this case, the cause of the disease can affect the tactics and duration of further treatment.

How do mental disorders manifest in children?

Symptoms of mental illness are:

• fears, phobias, increased anxiety;
• nervous tics;
• obsessive movements;
• aggressive behavior;
• mood lability, emotional imbalance;
• loss of interest in familiar games;
• slowness of body movements;
• thinking disorders;
• isolation, depressive mood for two weeks or longer;
• auto: self-harming and suicidal attempts;
• , which are accompanied by tachycardia and rapid breathing;
• symptoms of anorexia: refusal to eat, inducing vomiting, taking laxatives;
• problems concentrating, hyperactive behavior;
• addiction to alcohol and drugs;
• changes in behavior, sudden changes in the character of the child.

Children are more prone to nervous disorders during age-related crises, namely at the age of 3-4 years, 5-7 years and 12-18 years.

At the age of one year, psychogenic reactions are the result of the dissatisfaction of the main vital needs: sleep and food. At 2-3 years old, children may begin to suffer due to excessive attachment to the mother, which leads to infantilization and inhibition of development. At 4-5 years of age, mental illness can manifest itself in nihilistic behavior and protest reactions.

It is also worth being wary if the child shows degradation in development. For example, the baby's vocabulary is depleted, he loses already acquired skills, becomes less sociable and ceases to take care of himself.

At the age of 6-7 years, school is a stressful factor. Often, mental disorders in these children are manifested psychosomatically by a deterioration in appetite and sleep, fatigue, headaches and dizziness.

In adolescence (12-18 years), mental disorders have their own characteristics of symptoms:

• The child becomes prone to melancholy, anxiety, or vice versa to aggressiveness, conflict. A common feature is emotional instability.
• A teenager shows vulnerability to other people's opinions, assessments from the outside, excessive self-criticism or overestimated self-esteem, disregard for the advice of adults.
• Schizoid and cyclical.
• Children demonstrate youthful maximalism, theorizing, philosophizing, many internal contradictions.

It must be remembered that the above symptoms do not always indicate the presence of a mental illness. Only a specialist can understand the situation and determine the diagnosis.

Methods of treatment

It is usually very difficult for parents to decide on a visit to a psychotherapist. Recognition of mental disorders in a child is often associated with various limitations in the future, ranging from the need to attend a special school to a limited choice of specialty. Because of this, changes in behavior, developmental features and oddities of character, which can be symptoms of mental dysfunctions, are often ignored.

If parents want to somehow solve the problem, then treatment often begins at home using alternative medicine. Only after prolonged failures and deterioration in the health of the offspring does the first visit to a qualified medical specialist occur.

Mental disorders in children or mental dysontogenesis is a deviation from normal behavior, accompanied by a group of disorders that are pathological conditions. They arise due to genetic, sociopathic, physiological reasons, sometimes injuries or diseases of the brain contribute to their formation. Violations that occur at an early age cause mental disorders and require treatment by a psychiatrist.

The formation of the child's psyche is associated with the biological characteristics of the organism, heredity and constitution, the rate of formation of the brain and parts of the central nervous system, acquired skills. The root of the development of mental disorders in children should always be sought in the biological, sociopathic or psychological factors that provoke the occurrence of disorders, often the process is triggered by a combination of agents. The main reasons include:

Family conflicts or an unfavorable situation in the house are a significant factor that traumatizes the emerging psyche, aggravating the condition.

Mental disorders in childhood, especially under one year, are united by a common feature: the progressive dynamics of mental functions is combined with the development of dysontogenesis associated with impaired morphofunctional brain systems. The condition occurs due to cerebral disorders, congenital features or social influences.

Mental illness in children

Signs of neuropsychiatric diseases can go unnoticed for many years. Almost three-quarters of children with serious mental disorders (ADHD, eating disorders and bipolar disorders) are left alone with their problems without help from specialists.

If a neuropsychiatric disorder is identified at a young age, when the disease is at an early stage, treatment will be more effective and efficient. In addition, it will be possible to avoid many complications, for example, the complete collapse of the personality, the ability to think, to perceive reality.

It usually takes about ten years from the moment the first, barely noticeable symptoms appear until the day when the neuropsychiatric disorder manifests itself in full force. But then the treatment will be less effective if this stage of the disorder can be cured at all.

How to determine?

So that parents can independently identify the symptoms of mental disorders and help their child in time, psychiatrists have published a simple test consisting of 11 questions. The test will help you easily recognize warning signs that are common to a wide range of mental disorders. Thus, it is possible to qualitatively reduce the number of suffering children by adding them to the number of children who are already undergoing treatment.

Test "11 signs"

1. Have you noticed in a child a state of deep melancholy, isolation, which lasts more than 2-3 weeks?
2. Has the child exhibited uncontrolled, violent behavior that is dangerous to others?
3. Was there a desire to harm people, participation in fights, perhaps even with the use of weapons?
4. Has the child, adolescent attempted to harm his body or committed suicide, or expressed intentions to do so?
5. Perhaps there were attacks of sudden causeless all-consuming fear, panic, while the heartbeat and breathing quickened?
6. Has the child refused to eat? Perhaps you found laxatives in his things?
7. Does the child have chronic states of anxiety and fear that inhibit normal activity?
8. The child cannot concentrate, is restless, is characterized by school failure?
9. Have you noticed that the child repeatedly used alcohol and drugs?
10. Does the child's mood often change, is it difficult for him to build and maintain normal relationships with others?
11. Did the child's personality and behavior often change, were the changes abrupt and unreasonable?

This methodology was created to help parents determine what behavior for a child can be considered normal, and what requires special attention and observation. If most of the symptoms regularly appear in the child's personality, parents are advised to seek a more accurate diagnosis from specialists in the field of psychology and psychiatry.

Mental retardation

Mental retardation is diagnosed from an early age, manifested by the underdevelopment of general mental functions, where thinking defects predominate. Mentally retarded children are distinguished by a low level of intelligence - below 70, they are not socially adapted.

Symptoms of mental retardation (oligophrenia) are characterized by disorders of emotional functions, as well as significant intellectual insufficiency:

Mental retardation occurs due to any damage to the brain during fetal development, during childbirth, or in the first year of life. The main causes of oligophrenia are due to:

Can it be cured?

Mental retardation is a pathological condition, the signs of which can be detected many years after exposure to likely damaging factors. Therefore, it is difficult to cure oligophrenia, it is easier to try to prevent pathology.

However the condition of the child can be significantly alleviated by special training and education, to develop in a child with oligophrenia the simplest hygiene and self-service skills, communication and speech skills.

Treatment with drugs is used only in case of complications, such as behavioral disorders.

Impaired mental function

With a delay in mental development (ZPR), the child has a pathologically immature personality, the psyche develops slowly, the cognitive sphere is disturbed, and tendencies of reverse development are manifested. Unlike oligophrenia, where violations of the intellectual sphere predominate, ZPR affects mainly the emotional and volitional sphere.

Mental infantilism

Often children manifest mental infantilism, as one of the forms of mental retardation. The neuropsychic immaturity of an infantile child is expressed by disorders of the emotional and volitional spheres. Children prefer emotional experiences, games, while cognitive interest is reduced. An infantile child is not able to make strong-willed efforts to organize intellectual activity at school, and does not adapt well to school discipline. Other forms of mental retardation are also distinguished: delayed development of reading, writing, reading and counting.

What is the prognosis?

Predicting the effectiveness of the treatment of mental retardation, it is necessary to take into account the causes of violations. For example, signs of mental infantilism can be completely smoothed out by organizing educational and training activities. If the developmental delay is due to a serious organic insufficiency of the central nervous system, the effectiveness of rehabilitation will depend on the degree of damage to the brain by the main defect.

How to help a child?

Comprehensive rehabilitation of children with mental retardation is carried out by several specialists at once: a psychiatrist, a pediatrician and a speech therapist. If a referral to a special rehabilitation institution is necessary, the child is examined by doctors from the medical and pedagogical commission.

Effective treatment of a child with mental retardation begins with daily homework with parents. It is supported by visits to specialized speech therapy and groups for children with mental retardation in preschool institutions, where the child is assisted and supported by qualified speech pathologists and teachers.

If by school age the child has not been completely relieved of the symptoms of neuropsychic developmental delay, you can continue your education in special classes, where the school curriculum is adapted to the needs of children with pathologies. The child will be provided with ongoing support, ensuring the normal formation of personality and self-esteem.

attention deficit disorder

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) affects many preschool children, schoolchildren and adolescents. Children are not able to concentrate attention for a long time, they are excessively impulsive, hyperactive, not attentive.

ADD and hyperactivity are diagnosed in a child if:

Why does ADD develop?

The causes of Attention Deficit Disorder are related to many factors:

Effects

Attention deficit disorder is an intractable pathology, however, using modern methods of education, over time, it is possible to significantly reduce the manifestations of hyperactivity.

If the ADD condition is left untreated, the child may have difficulties with learning, self-esteem, adaptation in the social space, and family problems in the future. Adult children with ADD are more likely to experience drug and alcohol addiction, conflicts with the law, antisocial behavior, and divorce.

Types of treatment

The approach to the treatment of attention deficit disorder should be comprehensive and versatile, include the following techniques:

Children with autism are in a state of constant "extreme" loneliness, they are not able to establish emotional contact with others, they are not socially and communicatively developed.

Autistic children do not look into the eyes, their gaze wanders, as if in an unreal world. There is no expressive facial expressions, speech has no intonation, they practically do not use gestures. It is difficult for a child to express his emotional state, especially to understand the emotions of another person.

How is it manifested?

Children with autism exhibit stereotypical behavior, it is difficult for them to change the environment, living conditions to which they are accustomed. The slightest changes cause panic fear and resistance. Autistic people tend to perform monotonous speech and motor actions: shake their hands, jump, repeat words and sounds. In any activity, a child with autism prefers monotony: he becomes attached and performs monotonous manipulations with certain objects, chooses the same game, topic of conversation, drawing.

Violations of the communicative function of speech are noticeable. It is difficult for autistic people to communicate with others, ask parents for help, however, they are happy to recite their favorite poem, choosing constantly the same work.

In children with autism echolalia observed They constantly repeat the words and phrases they hear. Incorrect use of pronouns may refer to themselves as "he" or "we". autistic never ask questions, and hardly react when others turn to them, that is, they completely avoid communication.

Reasons for development

Scientists have put forward many hypotheses about the causes of autism, identified about 30 factors that can provoke the development of the disease, but none of them is an independent cause of autism in children.

It is known that the development of autism is associated with the formation of a special congenital pathology, which is based on CNS insufficiency. Such a pathology is formed due to genetic predisposition, chromosomal abnormalities, organic disorders of the nervous system during pathological pregnancy or childbirth, against the background of early schizophrenia.

It is very difficult to cure autism, it will require huge efforts on the part of parents, in the first place, as well as the teamwork of many specialists: a psychologist, speech therapist, pediatrician, psychiatrist and speech pathologist.

Specialists face many problems that need to be solved gradually and comprehensively:

Schizophrenia

With schizophrenia, personality changes occur, which are expressed by emotional impoverishment, a decrease in energy potential, a loss of unity of mental functions, and the progression of introversion.

Clinical signs

In preschoolers and schoolchildren, the following signs of schizophrenia are observed:

Students with schizophrenia behave as follows:

Schizophrenia in adolescents is manifested by the following symptoms:

Treatment with drugs

For the treatment of schizophrenia used neuroleptics: haloperidol, chlorazine, stelazine and others. For younger children, weaker antipsychotics are recommended. With sluggish schizophrenia, treatment with sedatives is added to the main therapy: indopan, niamid, etc.

During the period of remission, it is necessary to normalize the home environment, apply educational and educational therapy, psychotherapy, and labor therapy. Supportive treatment with prescribed neuroleptic drugs is also carried out.

Disability

Patients with schizophrenia can completely lose their ability to work, while others retain the opportunity to work and even grow creatively.

• Disability is given with ongoing schizophrenia if the patient has a malignant and paranoid form of the disease. Usually, patients are referred to the II group of disability, and if the patient has lost the ability to independently serve himself, then to the I group.
• For recurrent schizophrenia, especially during acute attacks, patients are completely unable to work, so they are assigned the II group of disability. During remission, a transfer to group III is possible.

The causes of epilepsy are mainly associated with genetic predisposition and exogenous factors: CNS damage, bacterial and viral infections, complications after vaccination.

Seizure symptoms

Before an attack, the child experiences a special state - an aura, which lasts 1-3 minutes, but is conscious. The condition is characterized by a change in motor restlessness and fading, excessive sweating, hyperemia of the facial muscles. Toddlers rub their eyes with their hands, older children talk about gustatory, auditory, visual or olfactory hallucinations.

After the aura phase, there is a loss of consciousness and an attack of convulsive muscle contractions. During the attack, the tonic phase predominates, the complexion becomes pale, then purplish-cyanotic. The child wheezes, foam appears on the lips, possibly with blood. Pupillary reaction to light is negative. There are cases of involuntary urination and defecation. An epileptic seizure ends with a sleep phase. Waking up, the child feels broken, depressed, his head hurts.

Urgent care

Epileptic seizures are very dangerous for children, there is a threat to life and mental health, so emergency care is urgently needed during seizures.

As an emergency, early therapy measures, anesthesia, and the introduction of muscle relaxants are used. First, you need to remove all squeezing things from the child: a belt, unfasten the collar so that there are no obstacles to the flow of fresh air. Insert a soft barrier between the teeth so that the child does not bite the tongue during a seizure.

Would need enema with a solution of chloral hydrate 2%, as well as an intramuscular injection of magnesium sulfate 25% or diazepam 0.5%. If the attack does not stop after 5-6 minutes, you need to enter a half dose of an anticonvulsant drug.


With a prolonged epileptic seizure, it is prescribed dehydration with a solution of eufillin 2.4%, furomeside, concentrated plasma. Last resort using inhalation anesthesia(nitrogen with oxygen 2 to 1) and emergency measures to restore breathing: intubation, tracheostomy. This is followed by emergency hospitalization in the intensive care unit or neurological hospital.

Neurosis in a child manifests itself in the form of mental discoordination, emotional imbalance, sleep disturbances, symptoms of neurological diseases.

How are

The reasons for the formation of neuroses in children are psychogenic in nature. Perhaps the child had a mental trauma or he was haunted for a long time by failures that provoked a state of severe mental stress.

The development of neurosis is influenced by both mental and physiological factors:

• Prolonged mental stress can be expressed in violations of the functions of internal organs and provoke peptic ulcer, bronchial asthma, hypertension, neurodermatitis, which in turn only aggravate the mental state of the child.
• Disorders of the autonomic system also occur: blood pressure is disturbed, pains in the heart appear, palpitations, sleep disorders, a headache, fingers tremble, fatigue and discomfort in the body. This condition is quickly fixed and it is difficult for the child to get rid of the feeling of anxiety.
• The level of stress resistance of the child significantly affects the formation of neuroses. Emotionally unbalanced children experience petty quarrels with friends and relatives for a long time, so neuroses form more often in such children.
• It is known that neurosis in children occurs more often during periods that can be called "extreme" for the child's psyche. So most of the neuroses occur at the age of 3-5 years, when the child's "I" is formed, as well as during puberty - 12-15 years.



Among the most common neurotic disorders in children are: neurasthenia, hysterical arthrosis, obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders mainly affect teenagers, whose self-esteem is severely underestimated due to negative thoughts about their own weight and appearance. As a result, a pathological attitude to nutrition is developed, habits are formed that contradict the normal functioning of the body.

It was believed that anorexia and bulimia were more characteristic of girls, but in practice it turns out that boys suffer from eating disorders with equal frequency.

This type of neuropsychiatric disorders spreads very dynamically, gradually becoming threatening. Moreover, many teenagers successfully hide their problem from their parents for many months, and even years.

Children suffering from anorexia are tormented by constant feelings of shame and fear, illusions about being overweight and a distorted opinion about their own body, size and shape. The desire to lose weight sometimes reaches the point of absurdity, the child brings himself to a state of dystrophy.



Some teenagers use the most severe diets, multi-day fasts, limiting the amount of calories consumed to a deadly low limit. Others, in an effort to lose "extra" pounds, endure excessive physical exertion, bringing their body to a dangerous level of overwork.

Teenagers with bulimia characterized by periodic sudden changes in weight, because they combine periods of gluttony with periods of fasting and purification. Experiencing a constant need to eat whatever they can get their hands on, and at the same time feeling uncomfortable and ashamed of being noticeably rounded, children with bulimia often use laxatives and emetics to cleanse themselves and compensate for the amount of calories they eat.
In fact, anorexia and bulimia manifest themselves in almost the same way, with anorexia, the child can also use the methods of artificial cleansing of food that he has just eaten, by artificial vomiting and the use of laxatives. However, children with anorexia are extremely thin, and bulimics are often completely normal or slightly overweight.

Eating disorders are very dangerous for the life and health of the child. Such neuropsychiatric diseases are difficult to control and very difficult to overcome on their own. Therefore, in any case, you will need professional help from a psychologist or psychiatrist.

Prevention

In order to prevent children who are at risk, you need regular monitoring by a child psychiatrist. Parents should not be afraid of the word "psychiatry". You should not turn a blind eye to deviations in the development of the personality of children, behavioral features, convince yourself that these features “just seem” to you. If something worries you in the behavior of the child, you notice the symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders, do not hesitate to ask a specialist about it.


A consultation with a child psychiatrist does not oblige the parents to immediately refer the child for treatment to the appropriate institutions. However, there are often cases when a planned examination by a psychologist or psychiatrist helps to prevent serious neuropsychiatric pathologies at an older age, providing children with the opportunity to remain full and live a healthy and happy life.

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Child psychiatry

General principles of childhood psychiatry.

The issue of mental disorders in childhood and adolescence is a topic that will always be acute for psychiatrists and parents. I would like to reflect the general issues of this problem and consider the approaches to their resolution that exist today in medicine in our country. This work is not a specialized medical article. It is aimed at a wide range of readers, parents, their children, as well as all other persons for whom this issue is interesting and relevant.

Tasks and history of child psychiatry

Many authors note that psychiatry has recently greatly expanded the scope of its activities and, having gone beyond the walls of psychiatric hospitals, has included elementary and borderline forms in its terms of reference. However, this expansion has not gone deep enough in all respects, and this primarily applies to neuropsychiatric diseases of childhood. Very little is taken into account that it is at this age that most of the changes occur, which have to be regarded as the beginnings of future serious diseases.

More attention to children's health

In general, child psychiatry has not emerged from the derogation to which it was subjected before the war and the revolution. Since the latter, there has been a hope that in connection with the placement of questions of child upbringing and education in full, the position of child psychiatry will also change. Unfortunately, out of the very broad program of activities outlined at the beginning, which for various reasons could not be fully developed, very little fell to the share of child psychiatry. The reason for this must be considered not only significant financial difficulties, but also the fact that in general there are very few ideas about the importance of child psychiatry, its tasks and significance in general psychiatry and medicine in wide circles. Unfortunately, this also applies to many doctors, especially general practitioners, who often underestimate, and sometimes simply do not want to notice violations in children that require referral of the child to a child psychiatrist. At the same time, it should be noted that the later the patient got an appointment with a pediatric specialist, the later the treatment and correction of mental disorders in the child were started, the less effective this treatment is and the more time it will take to compensate for the child’s problems, preventing the transition of the disease to the phase of stable disorders, often not amenable to medical and psychological correction.

Of course, child psychiatry has its own tasks and its own characteristics compared to general psychiatry, the most important of which are that it is even more connected with neurology and internal medicine, it is more difficult to diagnose and predict, more unstable, but that is why specialists who have devoted their lives in this specialty, are often professionals with a capital letter.

The most common mental disorders in children

I consider it expedient to build my article according to the following principle: firstly, to present the most common mental disorders in children and adolescents that require observation and treatment by a child psychiatrist; secondly, to talk about the general principles for correcting these violations; thirdly, to try to justify the need for treatment of these diseases and try to give brief information on the prognosis for children receiving and, accordingly, not receiving treatment.

Delayed psycho-speech development

In the first place in terms of frequency of occurrence in early childhood, various forms of delays in psycho-speech development currently occupy the first place. Often, in the absence of significant motor disorders (the child begins to roll over, sit down, walk, etc. in a timely manner), due to early combined pathology of pregnancy and childbirth (chronic infections in the mother during pregnancy, abuse of tobacco, alcohol, toxic and narcotic drugs, childbirth injuries of varying severity, prematurity, congenital chromosomal anomalies (Down's syndrome, etc.), etc.), the problems of untimely speech development of the child come first.

Development norm, assessment of the child's level in speech development

It is rather difficult to talk about the presence of any clear temporal norms of speech development, but still we believe that the absence of individual words at the age of 1.5 years or the lack of formation of phrasal speech (the child pronounces short sentences that carry full semantic content) to 2, maximum 2 , 5 years is the basis for determining the child's speech development delay. The very fact of the presence of a delay in speech development can be due to both hereditary factors (“mom and dad started talking late”), and the presence of any significant mental disorders, up to early childhood autism or mental retardation; but the fact is that only specialists who know the pathology of this circle, know how to identify and treat it can make a decision, the right decision about the true causes of these disorders, identify the roots of the problem and offer a real, effective solution to it.

Often general practitioners, speech therapists of general kindergartens, friends and neighbors who do not fully possess specialized information reassure parents by saying phrases that are painfully familiar to everyone: “Don’t worry, by the age of 5 he will catch up, grow up, speak”, but often in For 4-5 years, these same people tell their parents: “Well, why did you wait so long, you should have been treated!”. It is at this age, at the age of 4-5 years, that children most often get their first appointment with a child psychiatrist, and they get there already having concomitant behavioral disorders, emotions, intellectual and physical development lag. The human body, and even more so the child's body, is a single system in which all components are closely interconnected, and when one of them is disrupted (in this case, the formation of speech), gradually other structures begin to fail, aggravating and aggravating the course of the disease.

Symptoms of mental disorders, childhood autism

As mentioned above, speech and motor developmental delay in a child can be not only an independent diagnosis, but also be one of the symptoms of more significant mental disorders. In confirmation of this, a significant increase in the incidence of childhood autism in our country in recent years should be noted. Over the past 3 years, the frequency of detection of this disease in children aged 3-6 years has increased more than 2 times, and this is due not only and not so much to the improvement in the quality of its diagnosis, but also to a significant increase in the incidence in general.

It should be said that the course of this process today has become much more difficult: today it is almost impossible to meet a child with “pure” autism (social isolation) in medical practice. This disease often combines a pronounced developmental delay, decreased intelligence, behavioral disorders with clear auto- and hetero-aggressive tendencies. And at the same time, the later treatment begins, the slower compensation occurs, the worse social adaptation and the more severe the long-term consequences of this disease. More than 40% of childhood autism at the age of 8-11 years pass into diseases of the endogenous circle, such as schizotypal disorder or childhood schizophrenia.

Behavioral disorder in children, hyperactivity

A special place in the practice of a psychiatrist is occupied by violations of behavior, attention and activity in children. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is currently probably the most widely used diagnosis, which is happily made by therapists, pediatricians, and neurologists. But few people remember that, according to the nomenclature of diseases, this disease belongs to mental disorders and most often the most effective treatment of children with such disorders is by a child psychiatrist and psychotherapist, who can fully use in their practice all the necessary methods and methods of drug correction of data. violations.

Often, mild violations can be compensated on their own, as the child grows and physiologically matures, but often, even with a favorable course of the process, the results of inattention to such violations at an early age are pronounced difficulties in learning at school, as well as behavioral disorders with a tendency to everything " negative" in adolescence. Moreover, it should be noted that getting used to everything “bad” (various addictions, antisocial behavior, etc.) in such children occurs much more quickly and decompensation of the state with the depletion of physiological compensatory mechanisms also occurs faster than in persons who did not have a history of such violations.

Mental retardation in children

The percentage of children with a diagnosis of "mental retardation" of varying severity is high. This diagnosis, of course, is never established before the age of 3, because it is difficult to determine the level of intellectual impairment in a child under 3 years of age. The criteria for establishing this diagnosis is the lack of effect of the treatment, the non-compensation of the condition against the background of intensive treatment at an early age.

The goal of teaching children with an established diagnosis of mental retardation is not intellectual compensation and an attempt to bring them to the general age level, but social adaptation and the search for that type of activity, albeit not difficult from an intellectual point of view, that can enable them to exist independently in adulthood and provide for yourself. Unfortunately, this is often only possible with a mild (rarely moderate) degree of the disease. With more pronounced disorders, these patients need to be monitored and cared for by relatives throughout their lives.

Mental disorders of the endogenous circle, schizophrenia

The percentage of children and adolescents with purely mental disorders of the endogenous circle is quite large. In this case, we are talking about schizophrenia and disorders similar to it, in which there is a violation of thought processes and grossly changing personality traits. Untimely detection and initiation of therapy for these disorders leads to a very rapid increase in the personality defect and exacerbates the course of this disease in adulthood.

Childhood mental illness needs to be treated

Summarizing all that has been said, I would like to note that this article presents a very short and rough list of the main mental illnesses of childhood. Perhaps, if it turns out to be interesting, in the future we will continue the series of articles and even then we will dwell in detail on each type of mental disorder, how to detect them, and the principles of effective therapy.

Don't put off seeing a doctor if your child needs help

But I want to say one thing now: do not be afraid to visit a child psychiatrist, do not be afraid of the word "psychiatry", do not hesitate to ask about what worries you about your child, what seems "wrong" to you, do not close your eyes to any peculiarities in behavior and your child's development by convincing yourself that "it just seems." A consultative appeal to a child psychiatrist will not oblige you to anything (the topic of monitoring forms in psychiatry is a topic for a separate article), and at the same time, often timely contacting a psychiatrist with your child prevents the development of severe mental disorders at a later age and makes it possible Your child will continue to live a full healthy life.

Psychiatrist of the children's dispensary department of TsMOKPB.

Health

To help children who have not been diagnosed with a mental disorder, researchers have released a list of 11 warning, easily recognizable signs that can be used by parents and others.

This list is intended to help bridge the gap between the number of children suffering from mental illness and those who actually receive treatment.

Studies have shown that three out of four children with mental health problems, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, eating disorders and bipolar disorder, go unnoticed and not receive proper treatment.

Parents who notice any of the warning signs should see a pediatrician or mental health professional for a psychiatric evaluation. The researchers hope that the proposed list of symptoms help parents distinguish between normal behavior and signs of mental illness.

"Many people cannot be sure if their child has a problem.," says Dr. Peter S. Jensen(Dr. Peter S. Jensen), professor of psychiatry. " If a person has a “yes” or “no” answer, then it is easier for him to make a decision.."

Identifying a mental disorder in adolescence will also allow children to receive treatment sooner, making it more effective. For some children, it can take up to 10 years from when symptoms appear to when they start receiving treatment.

To make the list, the committee reviewed studies on mental disorders that included more than 6,000 children.

Here are 11 warning signs of mental disorders:

1. Feelings of deep sadness or withdrawal that last more than 2-3 weeks.

2. Serious attempts to harm or kill yourself, or plans to do so.

3. Sudden, all-consuming fear for no reason, sometimes accompanied by a strong heartbeat and rapid breathing.

4. Participation in a lot of fights, including the use of weapons, or the desire to harm someone.

5. Violent, out of control behavior that could harm yourself or others.

6. Refusing food, throwing away food, or using laxatives to lose weight.

7. Strong anxieties and fears that interfere with normal activities.

8. Severe concentration difficulties or an inability to sit still, which puts you in physical danger or causes you to fail.

9. Repeated use of drugs and alcohol.

10. Severe mood swings that lead to relationship problems.

11. Abrupt changes in behavior or personality

These signs are not a diagnosis, and for an accurate diagnosis, parents should consult a specialist. In addition, the researchers explained that these signs do not necessarily appear in children with mental disorders.