How to Help Your Child with a Mental Health Problem
By: Srishti Verma
How often do your children ask you difficult questions? While you may be able to answer why the sky is blue and dinosaurs are no more, you can have a hard time answering, "How do babies breathe in their mothers' bellies,” and the like.
A child who has a mental health problem can find it troublesome to understand why he is different from his friends. This can lead to anxiety and self-doubts. If your child's friend has a mental health problem, it is important to explain to your little one how to be understanding and cordial to his friend.
This article would cover how you can help your child deal with mental health problems better (and help their friends too).
Common mental health problems in children
The emotional well-being of our children is as important as their physical health. This makes them resilient, and helps them grow into healthy, well-rounded adults.
A mentally healthy childhood means being able to reach developmental and emotional milestones. However, about 16.5% of children today are affected by mental health problems. These are described as changes in their behavior, handling emotions, learning, and persistent worries and fears.
Common neurodevelopmental disorders in children include:
Autism
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Learning disabilities such as dyslexia and dyscalculia
Conduct disorders, among others.
A child may also have anxiety, depression, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Many children can have more than one condition. A learning disability and ADHD can be expressed in a child at the same time, for instance.
Though the causes of many neurodevelopmental disorders have not been isolated, they are often attributed to prenatal exposure to harmful substances such as lead and mercury, smoking, alcohol consumption, and genetic history.
Different behavior in a child can also be attributed to trauma, abuse, neglect, bullying, family dynamics, and changes like moving houses or a new school.
When your child has mental health problems
Asking your little one how they are feeling and identifying issues when they surface can help them a lot. Early interventions can improve the mental health of your child, and equip them with necessary coping skills.
If your child has been diagnosed with a mental health problem, it can sometimes be difficult to explain to him that it is indeed normal. The following practices can help you and your darling on the journey towards health and happiness:
Acceptance
Acceptance begins with you and can go a long way in making your child feel comfortable with his health. The sound mental health of your children is a continuum of their and your responses to everyday life.
An honest, age-appropriate conversation can bolster the bond you share with your children, and make a big difference in how they comprehend and accept their disorder. A child may take some time to process the upsetting news and can come back with loads of questions. You can work on calming their fears and eradicating the blame.
Books and cartoons
Go to your nearest bookstore and find books that talk about mental health. Many children’s books these days portray characters who have a mental health disorder. As little ones familiarize themselves with narratives about mental health, they can eventually get more comfortable and learn.
Popular children’s cartoons have also ventured into talking about mental health disorders. Due to their child-appropriate nature, these cartoons could spark a healthy conversation for you and your kids to talk and learn about mental health.
Optimum nutrition
A balanced diet and mental health are related in many studies, and doctors and researchers have time and again encouraged optimum nutrition for children and adolescents. Children who have anxiety, ADHD, or PTSD are inclined towards impulsive eating. They may not often make healthy food choices, as it’s often easier for them to access fast food over healthier alternatives.
If your little one runs towards vibrant toys and stationery, how about using them to your advantage? A simple idea is to include as many different colors in your child’s plate as possible to incorporate most nutrients that your kid needs.
How about healthy food options for your little one when he is hungry? Would he like to eat the lunch that he helped you prepare? Would he grab a fruit he likes from the fridge when there are no chips and packaged snacks available?
If you answered yes, you know the solution. Bring your kids into the kitchen and let them help with cooking. The next time you go shopping, hold yourself back from buying unhealthy snacks too. Educate your children on choosing nourishing food.
Exercise and sports
The benefits of physical exercise and good mental health in children have been extensively studied. Encourage your child to get up and move!
This can be a fun activity because, well, don't children love to run and play? Once your child gets the hang of physical activities, you would notice an improvement in their mood, self-esteem, anxiety, and overall well-being.
Use bike rides, jumping on trampolines, gardening, and other fun activities to make your darling one healthy and confident.
While your kid would love to go out and meet their friends, doing so during the pandemic is not safe. This can be even more difficult for children who need a safe vent to express and learn.
How about bringing playtime into your home? Bowling with bottles, running from one corner to another, or doing jumping jacks can check sedentary lifestyle practices.
When your child’s friend has mental health problems
Mental health disorders in children have unfortunately become more prevalent in the last few decades. While nobody wants their children to be hurt, it is inevitable to protect them from factors that go beyond our control.
We must teach our children about mental health. If your child’s friend has a mental health problem, talk to them about it. But how would you initiate that conversation? Will your child understand?
Having the difficult conversation
How often have you wondered about where your child’s quirky questions come from? While their questions can put you in a fix, they can also help you to start the conversation.
You can use art and cartoons to initiate talking, and let your child's curiosity grow wings and take flight. Allow him to ask however many questions he needs. You can also take this opportunity to teach him how to help his friend.
Developing kindness
We can often mistake our children for being harsh, but fail to understand that they are ignorant in their innocence - they don’t know what they don’t know! Your child loves their friends and would probably be happy to help them if they knew how. Developing awareness of their friend’s mental health disorder, can help them understand how to reach out from a place of kindness. After all, aren’t children the sweetest!
Have the conversation, and inculcate kindness in your little one. Their friend would be grateful you did that.
Eliminate the taboo
A child's mind is fertile ground for harboring prejudices and taboos. Talking can ensure that your child does not foster any negative opinions about mental health.
You can also encourage your young ones to draw what they feel. Art, when presented in ways that children understand, can have academic and social-emotional benefits. This in turn can inform your kids about mental health. Let's leave improving their drawing skills for another day though!
Conclusion
While mental health problems in children are normal, the stigma around them is not. Talk to your children, tell them about the diagnosis, and persuade them to ask questions. While many disorders last into adulthood, early detection and professional help can combat the severity.
The pandemic has been unkind to many, you don't have to be. May is celebrated as Mental Health Awareness month, but mental health should be prioritized year round. Your attempts at dissipating shame around mental health can be successful in helping children universally, because a hearty child is healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally. Let us help children be healthy, happy and smiling, forever.
Srishti Verma is a writer and editor who loves to eat ice creams, and read and write about health and fitness.