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What diseases cause nervous breakdowns in a child. Signs of nervous breakdowns in teenagers and what to do about it

Children are more or less unpredictable even for their parents. Sometimes it seems that the baby is simply uncontrollable and hysterical. However, what was the impetus for this - a disease of the central nervous system a child, a psycho-emotional disorder, or just a desire to manipulate?

Illness or personality traits?

If a child is very nervous, then this can affect the quality of life of both himself and those around him. This term usually means tearfulness, excitability, sleep problems, disobedience, irritability, hysteria. It is very difficult to make contact with nervous children, since such a baby reacts to any remark or suggestion with violent tantrums and protests. shows that most of the problems lie in the wrong education in early childhood.

Naughty and nervous children are such intertwined concepts that sometimes it can be difficult to understand the essence of the problem without the help of qualified specialists. Some of the most common causes of disobedience in children include:

Only in last place are disorders of the child's nervous system.

Children's neuroses

The psyche of a small child is very fragile and subject to influence from outside. Against the background of numerous prohibitions, stressful situations and lack of attention, neuroses can form. This is a neuropsychiatric disorder, which is characterized by the appearance of unusual psychosomatic and behavioral symptoms. Often nervous children are precisely because of the occurrence of neuroses.

The peak of the development of the pathological condition is considered to be the age of 5-6 years, when the child begins to behave inappropriately. In some cases, neuroses appear as early as 2-3 years of age.

Causes of neuroses

Psychologists distinguish such prerequisites for the development of a pathological condition:

Also, a nervous child of 2 or more years old can become due to the death of one of the relatives, getting into a car accident.

Symptoms of a mental disorder

The following manifestations can be considered the first signs of disorders in the work of the nervous system of a child:

Attentive parents will definitely notice some changes in the behavior of the baby. It can be excessive aggressiveness both towards other children and adults, irritability, hyperexcitability. All these manifestations give rise to contacting doctors, since letting the situation take its course can result in negative consequences in the future for both parents and the child.

Treatment of neuroses

Therapy for a pathological condition of the nervous system is selected in a complex manner. It is important to undergo a full examination with a psychologist, neurologist and other related specialists. To date, there are such methods of treatment of neuroses:

Psychotherapy is aimed at solving social problems that could cause neurosis. Sessions can take place both with parents and with the child alone. The psychotherapist uses the following methods for treatment: individual treatment, family session, art therapy, the use of hypnosis, group sessions with children to improve their socialization.
Medical therapy includes phytopreparations with a calming effect, vitamin complexes, antidepressants, tranquilizers, nootropic drugs. Treatment is selected on the basis of the established severity of the course of the pathological process.
Folk remedies that are designed to calm the child's nervous system - infusions of valerian, lemon balm, motherwort.

As an additional therapy, communication with animals - dolphins, horses, dogs can be used.

Nervous tics

Unfortunately, psychological problems do not end with neuroses. Doctors note that every nervous child from 3 to 18 years old can be nervous because of tics. There is evidence that almost one in five children experienced similar phenomena. For convenience, experts have divided the types of nervous tics into 3 groups:

According to the severity, there are local (one group of muscles is involved) and mixed (nervous tics of several types at once).

Causes of nervous tics

Specialists distinguish between primary and secondary pathological conditions. The first group is associated with such factors:

deficiency in the body of such important trace elements as magnesium and calcium;
emotional upheavals - stressful situations, severe punishments from parents, fear, lack of love and affection;
stress on the central nervous system that occurs due to the use of large amounts of tea, coffee, energy drinks. Most often, adolescents from 12 to 18 years old suffer from this;
overwork on the background of large training loads, prolonged use of a computer, watching TV;
unfavorable heredity.

Secondary nervous tics can develop against the background of serious diseases, such as:

Tourette's syndrome;
encephalitis;
craniocerebral injuries of both closed (concussion) and open types;
a brain tumor;
congenital diseases of the nervous system.

Most often, nervous tics appear during the period of wakefulness of the child, while sleep can be called relatively calm.

Therapy for nervous tics

The condition requires medical attention in the following cases:

nervous tic did not go away on its own within a month;
pathology causes the baby any inconvenience;
severe severity of symptoms or a combination of several varieties of tics.

In most cases, it is easy to treat if their causes were associated with psychosomatics. In more severe cases, the problem may remain forever.

Therapy for a nervous tic of a psychological type is prescribed similar to the treatment of neuroses. It is necessary to choose a complex of soothing medications, as well as conduct several sessions with a qualified psychotherapist. In some cases, alternative treatment is sufficient in the form of soothing tinctures of valerian, lemon balm, motherwort or aromatherapy through baths with essential oils of lavender, mint.

Treatment of secondary tics caused by injuries or diseases should be started only under the supervision of a doctor who will reveal the true diagnosis and prescribe competent therapy.

Rules of conduct for parents

Nervous children are most often precisely the fault of their own mothers and fathers. Psychologists advise that in order to get rid of problems, it is necessary not only to show the baby to a specialist, but also to reconsider your own behavior model:

In addition, it is important not to show your own negative emotions in front of children, as babies can adopt this behavior.

Daily routine and nutrition

A nervous child aged 3 or more should have a special daily rhythm. Psychologists give several important recommendations on this matter:

in classes that require mental activity, it is necessary to take breaks for 15 minutes every 20 minutes;
nutrition should be as balanced as possible to compensate for the lack of vitamins and trace elements;
drinks such as cocoa, coffee, strong tea should be excluded from the diet - they excite the nervous system.

It is necessary to devote a lot of time to physiotherapy, such as hardening. However, this should be done under the supervision of a pediatrician.

Age features

Treatment of a nervous child is not always necessary, as these may be developmental features:

Parents should "grow up" with their own child, take into account his characteristics and communicate with him on an equal footing from childhood. This is the only way to maintain trust and peace in the family.

A nervous child a year or later can bring a lot of trouble, so sometimes it is easier to prevent the development of mental disorders than to treat them. Psychologists give several recommendations about this:

regardless of the situation, it is necessary to remain calm, since the nervousness of the mother is transmitted to the child, especially for young children;
it is important to teach a son or daughter to apologize for misconduct, but it is just as important to ask for forgiveness from a baby;
to raise calm offspring, you need to be patient;
you need to set a positive example with your own actions;
do not put the interests of the child above all else;
It is important to give your child the right to choose.

In addition, children of any age are in dire need of the care and love of their parents.

Conclusion

The nervousness of children is most often associated with errors in their upbringing or external factors. Such situations can be easily corrected only by adjusting your own behavior towards the baby. However, if serious mental pathologies are identified, their treatment should not be ignored, as this can turn into serious problems in the future.

How can nervous mental disorders in children, how to recognize psychological trauma and what parents should definitely pay attention to?

But there are also non-obvious symptoms of ill health, which we used to turn a blind eye to, believing that the child will “outgrow”, “this is all the wrong upbringing”, or “he just has such a character”.

Symptoms of a nervous breakdown in a child

Remember: what is normal for one age may be an indication of a problem at another. For example, the lack of speech or the poverty of vocabulary is not typical for children older than 4-5 years.

Stormy tantrums and tears are a way for a 2–3 year old child to test their parents for strength and find out the limits of acceptable, but inappropriate behavior for a student.

Fear of strangers, losing your mother, darkness, death, natural disasters are natural, according to age norms, up to the younger teenage years. Later, phobias may indicate a troubled mental life.

Make sure that you yourself do not require the child to be more mature than he really is. The mental health of preschool children largely depends on their parents.

If educators, teachers, other parents complain to you about the behavior of your child, do not take it to heart, but specify what exactly worries them, how often it happens, what are the details and circumstances.

Nervous disorders in children: treatment

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We are accustomed to write off the unusual behavior of a child as whims, poor upbringing or transitional age. But it may not be as harmless as it seems at first glance. This can mask the symptoms of a child's nervous breakdown.

Tatyana Markina, a psychologist and creator of the Step to Happiness psychological studio, tells how neuropsychiatric disorders can manifest themselves in children,

how to recognize psychological trauma

and what parents need to pay attention to.

Usually these symptoms are manifested in behavior.

If you notice that the child behaves strangely, this may be one of the symptoms of a nervous breakdown.

Doesn't make eye contact, doesn't talk, often has tantrums, cries all the time or is sad, doesn't play with other children, is aggressive at the slightest provocation, hyperexcitable, has poor attention span, ignores behavior rules, is shy, overly passive, has tics, obsessive movements, stuttering, enuresis, frequent nightmares.

In adolescence, these can be permanently low mood or apathy, sudden mood swings, eating disorders (gluttony, refusal to eat, strange food preferences), intentional self-inflicted injuries (cuts, burns), cruelty and dangerous behavior, poor school performance from For forgetfulness, inability to concentrate, regular use of alcohol and psychoactive drugs.

Also characterized by increased impulsivity and low self-control, increased fatigue over a long period, hatred of oneself and one's body, ideas that others are hostile and aggressive, suicidal moods or attempts, bizarre beliefs, hallucinations (visions, sounds, sensations).

There may be panic attacks, fears and severe anxiety, excruciating headaches, insomnia, psychosomatic manifestations (ulcer, impaired blood pressure, bronchial asthma, neurodermatitis).

The list of symptoms of mental and nervous disorders is, of course, wider. It is necessary to pay attention to all unusual, strange and alarming moments in the behavior of the child, given their persistence and duration of manifestation.

Remember: what is normal for one age may be an indication of a problem at another.

For example, the lack of speech or the poverty of vocabulary is not typical for children older than 4-5 years. Stormy tantrums and tears are a way for a 2–3 year old child to test their parents for strength and find out the limits of acceptable, but inappropriate behavior for a student.

Do not think that they want to humiliate or accuse you of something, compare the information and draw your own conclusions. Perhaps a look from the outside will be a necessary clue, and you will be able to help your child in time: visit a psychologist, psychotherapist, psychiatrist, neurologist. Neuropsychiatric disorders in children can be treated, the main thing is not to start the situation.

The stigmatization of mental problems and disorders in our society is still prevalent. This causes additional pain to the people who suffer from them and their relatives. Shame, fear, confusion and anxiety make it difficult to seek help when time passes and problems get worse.

See also: Psychologist: “The main feeling with which children talk about their parents is fear”

According to statistics in the United States, where psychiatric and psychological care is much better than in Ukraine, an average of 8–10 years elapses between the onset of the first symptoms and seeking help. Whereas about 20% of children have certain mental disorders. Half of them really outgrow them, adapt, compensate.

Causes of nervous breakdown in children

Mental disorders often have a genetic, organic basis, but this is not a sentence. With the help of upbringing in a favorable environment, their manifestations can be avoided or significantly reduced.

Unfortunately, the opposite is also true: violence, traumatic experiences, including sexual, emotional and pedagogical neglect, bullying, dysfunctional or criminal family environments greatly harm the development of children, causing them psychological wounds that do not heal.

The most sensitive period: from birth to 1-1.5 years, when the personality of the baby is formed, his further ability to adequately perceive the world around him and adapt flexibly to it.

Serious illnesses of the mother and child, her physical absence, strong emotional experiences and stresses, as well as the abandonment of the baby, minimal bodily and emotional contacts with him (feeding and changing diapers is not enough for normal development) are risk factors for the appearance of disorders.

What to do if you think that the child behaves strangely? The same as with a temperature: look for a specialist and seek help. Depending on the symptoms, either a neurologist, a psychiatrist, or a psychologist or psychotherapist can help.

The doctor will prescribe medications and procedures, the psychologist and psychotherapist, with the help of special classes, exercises, conversations, will teach the child to communicate, control his behavior, express himself in socially acceptable ways, help resolve an internal conflict, get rid of fears and other negative experiences. Sometimes you may need a speech therapist or a correctional teacher.

Not all difficulties require the intervention of doctors. Sometimes a child reacts painfully to sudden changes in the family: divorce of parents, conflicts between them, the birth of a brother or sister, the death of one of the close relatives, the appearance of new partners in the parents, moving, starting to attend a kindergarten or school.

Often the source of problems is the system of relations that has developed in the family and between mother and father, the style of education.

Be prepared that you may need to consult a psychologist yourself. Moreover, sometimes it is enough to work with adults so that the child calms down and his undesirable manifestations come to naught. Take responsibility. “Do something with him. I can't take it anymore" - this is not the position of an adult.

Preserving the Mental Health of Children: Essential Skills

empathy - the ability to read and understand the feelings, emotions and state of another person without merging with him, imagining two as a single whole;
the ability to express in words their feelings, needs, desires;
the ability to hear and understand another, to conduct a dialogue;
the ability to establish and maintain the psychological boundaries of the individual;
the tendency to see the source of control of one's life in oneself without falling into guilt or omnipotence.

Read literature, attend lectures and seminars on parenting, engage in your own development as a person.

Apply this knowledge in communication with the child. Feel free to ask for help and advice.

Because the main task of parents is to love the child, accept his imperfections (as well as their own), protect his interests, create favorable conditions for the development of his own personality, without replacing it with your dreams and ambitions for an ideal child. And then your little sun will grow up healthy and happy, able to love and care.

How to prevent a nervous breakdown in a child? What are the symptoms? What parenting mistakes lead to nervous breakdown The child has? About this and much more in this article.

Nervous breakdowns in children

Life constantly puts its “natural experiments” on us. From how strong our nervous system is, how much it is trained for various kinds of surprises, neuropsychic health depends. The most difficult thing in this regard is young children. The higher parts of their nervous system are still immature, are in the process of formation, the defense mechanisms of the brain are imperfect, so a breakdown can easily occur, a neurotic disorder can develop. Incorrect methods of upbringing, ignoring by parents the possibility of a nervous breakdown in a child with an overstrain of the irritable or inhibitory process or their mobility often lead to sad results.

Let's explain with specific examples.

The child was frightened by the dog that rushed at him, he began to stutter. (There is an overstrain of the irritable process).
The mother forced her three-year-old daughter to eat, threatening with a belt. The girl couldn't take it semolina, but "restrained" herself, ate through force, fearing punishment. As a result of an overstrain of the inhibitory process, she developed anorexia - an aversion to food and nervous vomiting.
The family broke up. The husband began a lawsuit for the right to raise his son. The boy loved both his father and mother and did not want to part with either of his parents. And his father and mother alternately slandered him at each other, humiliated each other. As a result of an overstrain of the mobility of nervous processes, their collision, the child developed night fears.

Causes of a nervous breakdown in children

Mistakes in upbringing are one of the main causes of childhood nervous diseases. However, they are not necessarily the result of neglect or any malice. Far from it. In some cases, if not in the majority, they are committed because the parents do not know the mental, physiological, age characteristics inherent in the child, and also because they do not always try to figure out the reasons for this or that action of the baby.

EXAMPLE:

Vova grew up as a very inquisitive boy. He asked so many questions during the day that one day his grandmother threatened him: “If you don’t shut up right now, I’ll call the Baba Yaga, she will drag you into the forest.” - "And I'll run away! "-" You will not run away, she will bewitch you, your legs will be taken away. At this time they called. “You see,” said the grandmother and went to open the door. The postman entered the room, an old woman, gray-haired, all wrinkled. Vova immediately understood; baba yaga! He noticed with horror that the Baba Yaga was looking straight at him. “I don’t want to go to the forest! The boy wanted to scream, but his voice was gone. He decided to run away to another room, but his legs did not work, they "were taken away." Vova fell to the floor. called out ambulance. The boy was admitted to the hospital. He could neither walk nor speak, he lay all the time with tightly closed eyes.

We have told you about only one rather personal case of adult misbehavior that led to a nervous breakdown. There are also intimidations of this order; “If you behave badly, aunt doctor will give you an injection,” or “I’ll give it to my uncle, a policeman,” or “If you don’t obey, the dog will drag you away” ... And then the harmless, tail-wagging Sharik, who ran up to the baby, becomes a super-strong irritant, and the doctor, who comes to a sick child, causes him horror. "Buka", which parents used to scare, comes to the baby at night in a dream, and he wakes up in the country, screams, cannot calm down for a long time. Fright as a result of intimidation often causes a stressful situation, becomes the cause of a neurotic reaction. In unprepared impressionable children (with weakened nervous processes), even the appearance of “mummers” at a children's matinee, the aggressiveness of a wild animal in a zoo, and an acute experience during the performance of aerialists in a circus can cause fear.

EXAMPLE:

Yura got to the New Year's party for the first time in his life. He liked everything about the party. With amazement, he looked at the huge Christmas tree in the middle of the hall, all in sparkles, toys, garlands, in multi-colored lights. Near the Christmas tree, Santa Claus led a round dance with the children. Yura, at first timid, grew bolder and went closer to the round dance. Cheerful lop-eared hares jumped around him, a red fox ran past. Suddenly, Yura noticed how a big brown bear came out from behind the Christmas tree, waddling from foot to foot, spreading its paws - "quite real." The bear went to Yura. Now he is already quite close, now he has already raised his paws over Yura. The boy noticed the terrible claws. And he screamed piercingly, rushed to the first door that came across. The door was locked. Then he hung on the handle, fell, began to beat his head and hands on the floor.

Of course, completely unforeseen circumstances can also cause fear, for example, a natural disaster - an earthquake, fire, thunderstorm, car accident. However, most often the cause of frightening the cause of the occurrence of an insurmountable stressful situation for the child is, in addition to intimidation, incorrect or insufficient explanations of certain phenomena and situations. For example, a child is taken to the zoo. Why not explain to him that there are both good, kind animals and wild, scary ones. Then it is unlikely that an aggressive reaction, say, a tiger, will cause an unexpected fright in a child. And, of course, children are completely unprepared for the scandals of their parents, especially reaching rude insults and even fights. The ugly behavior of a drunken father is also an overpowering irritant.

Factors that cause a nervous breakdown in young children:

Acute sudden shock.
A long-acting psycho-traumatic situation, which gradually causes stress, leads to a collision and a nervous breakdown.

Such a traumatic factor can be both an unfavorable situation in the family, and different views of parents on education. For example, the father is overly strict, punishes for trifles, while the mother, on the contrary, is inferior to the child in everything. In addition, parents in the presence of the baby argue about the methods of education. The father cancels the decision of the mother, and the mother, secretly from the father, allows the child not to follow his instructions and orders. As a result, the child has a collision of nervous processes, and the feeling of security and confidence also disappears.

Prevention of nervous breakdowns in preschool children

With the wrong methods of upbringing, undesirable character traits and bad habits can form in children.

The task for the educators of kids is to instill in children the desire for good things and to form the qualities necessary for life in a team. But one should also, and this is very often forgotten, take care to grow up a mentally balanced person, with a strong nervous system, capable of overcoming difficulties.

Caring for the child's nervous system begins from the first days of his life. We will not talk about the meaning of the regime, rational nutrition, fulfillment of hygienic requirements. All this is more or less known to the parents. Less well known to them are the correct methods of education that help the formation of a healthy nervous system in a child.

Examples of life situations

Imagine a train compartment. A family is traveling - a mother, a father and a seven-year-old son. "Caring" parents constantly "educate" the boy: they reward him with cuffs and slaps almost every time he moves and for a variety of reasons, and sometimes for no reason. It is impossible to predict what he will receive the next slap on the back of the head for.

The boy, apparently, was accustomed to such treatment, he did not cry, but seemed completely wild, he was excited, fussy. Every now and then he broke loose and began to rush along the corridor, pushing passengers aside, grabbed and touched what was not allowed, once he almost opened the stopcock. For all this he received a corresponding bribe. But he was pulled back even when he did not do anything illegal.

As it turned out, the boy was not stupid at all: he showed natural curiosity at his age. And yet before this is clearly a sick child.

And here is another example: three-year-old Misha, seeing how other children do it, fell to the floor and began to beat with his feet when his mother refused to fulfill his desire. The mother stood and calmly looked at her son. But Misha did not stop the roar, and this is very harmful for the nervous system.

Then my mother said:

Misha, you will stain your new suit. Take a newspaper, lay it down and then you can lie on it.

Misha stopped crying, got up, took the newspaper, spread it out, and while he was doing this, he already forgot why he had to kick and shout; laying still, he stood up. Since then, every time he began to act up, Misha was reminded that before lying on the floor, he had to spread a newspaper. And while he was doing this, he was already calming down, and there was no need to go to bed.

We gave these two examples only for comparison: in the first case, the “pedagogical methods” of the parents led to a nervous illness of the child, in the second, the mother’s calm and even attitude, her upbringing methods, thought out taking into account the individual characteristics of precisely her neat Mishenka, prevented the development of whims, nervousness.

Let's go back to the first example. What exactly brought the child into a state of nervous excitement? The conflicting demands of the parents, i.e., in the language of physiologists, "a collision of nervous processes": the boy received a definite order from one of the parents and immediately the opposite demand from the other.

The randomness of orders caused the same chaotic state in his nervous system. Incessant pain stimuli also undoubtedly had a harmful effect on his nervous system.

Let us add to these convincing words the fact that fear and pain upset the nervous system.

The well-known psychiatrist S. S. Korsakov wrote that age determines the instability and vulnerability of the nervous system, which is special for each period of life, as a result of which painful phenomena are caused by causes that are especially strong at this particular age.

Preschool age has peculiar features that leave an imprint on the neurotic manifestations of the child.

A characteristic feature is the predominance of feelings over reason. This makes the child especially vulnerable and susceptible to nervous shocks. From the point of view of adults, the causes of these upheavals sometimes seem insignificant, but they seem completely different to the child. Children are not yet able to fully comprehend the impressions received and evaluate them reasonably. Hence the so-called childhood fears that are so common in children, sometimes turning into a state of neurosis. Children are afraid of everything unknown and incomprehensible.

Children suffer when they cannot comprehend the situation in which they have to live. For example, they cannot resolve family conflicts and judge who is right and who is wrong in family quarrels. Children find themselves in a tangle of conflicting experiences, and the power of these experiences is sharper in them than in adults.

Very often you can hear from adults: "He is still small, he does not understand anything." This idea of the little ones, as it were, frees parents from responsibility for their behavior. Adults forget that this “misunderstanding” is what children can suffer from. Adults rarely think about the irreparable harm they do to children by making them participants in their quarrels. The atmosphere of hostility in which a child has to live can become the cause of his nervous state.

A feature of preschool age is the close connection of the psyche with the physical state. We could say the same about adults, but in children this connection is even more direct.

Appearances of nervousness are most often found in physically weakened children. And during childhood, a large number of infectious diseases fall, which are fertile ground for the emergence of nervous conditions.

In the case histories of nervous children, we also find references to various factors that adversely affect the nervous system. Adverse factors can be prenatal - a mother's unsuccessful pregnancy, trauma during childbirth, postpartum - infections, head bruises, etc. Each of these hazards can cause an independent, sometimes serious illness, but most often it weakens the child's nervous system. Children with a weak nervous system do not adapt well to the environment, they are not able to overcome difficulties that are easily overcome by healthy ones. It is children with a weakened nervous system who most often develop neuroses.

Usually, in children of pre-preschool and school age, with neuroses, the function of certain internal organs, and most often the one that was weakened earlier. So, nervous vomiting, disorder of the digestive organs, loss of appetite come after suffering dysentery or dyspepsia. Those functions that have not yet become stronger are also upset: enuresis (urinary incontinence) or speech disorder appears; usually stuttering or loss of speech (which happens with severe shocks) occurs in children with a delay in the development of speech or with any other defects in it.

Prevention of nervous breakdowns in school-age children

In older preschoolers and younger schoolchildren, other symptoms of nervousness appear, for example: movement disorders are frequent - tics, obsessive movements.

The various symptoms of nervousness are never isolated. In neurotic states, the whole appearance of the child changes. He becomes lethargic and inactive, or, on the contrary, too mobile and fussy, loses control over his behavior.

In such children, working capacity decreases, attention worsens. If the cause of the nervous condition is not eliminated, then the character of the child changes. He may remain in the future the same lethargic and lack of initiative or excitable and undisciplined.

Nervous children more easily succumb to bad influences, since they are not capable of nervous tension, they cannot resist their own impulses. However, one should not draw too gloomy conclusions from what has been said. Examination of adults treated in childhood for various manifestations of nervousness shows us that most of them are healthy, study and work successfully.

Children's psyche is flexible and viable. Under favorable conditions, children get better.

Treating a nervously ill child is a rewarding task. Even when child psychiatrists have to deal with severe neuroses, it is sometimes possible to cure a child mainly by ordinary pedagogical methods, applicable even at home.

The main method of treatment of nervously ill children is psychotherapy. This method is used by both doctors and teachers, although the latter do not call it that. One of the methods of psychotherapy is a change of scenery, the elimination of the cause that caused the disease, the influx of new joyful impressions.

Along with this, another method of psychotherapy should be applied, which in the language of psychiatrists is called “speech”. By this is meant healing by the word. The authoritative word of the educator is of great importance in the treatment of nervously ill children.

One of the effective psychotherapeutic techniques is the so-called stimulation method. With this method, the goal is to awaken in the child the desire to recover. Our ultimate goal is for the child to apply his own efforts to recovery and thereby learn to overcome life's obstacles later on. When applying this method, the word of the educator is especially significant.

The victory over the disease is experienced even by the smallest children as a victory - they become more self-confident, more cheerful.

Tantrums in a child. Brief tantrums are sometimes helpful. Tantrums relieve internal tension, give vent to accumulated negative emotions. Therefore, perceive tantrums in a child as an age-related inevitability.

Tantrums in a child

Causes of tantrums in a child

Attracting attention to yourself. Hysteria is the right way to achieve this. Therefore, give your baby as much time as possible. Before the arrival of guests, try to entertain the child with some interesting game for him;
breakdown. A nervous breakdown can occur if a child really wants to do or get something, but he is deprived of it. Or if a child is forced to do what he opposes with all his heart. Therefore, adults need to defend their position on very important issues; on trifles, you can give in to the child. Let the baby put on a T-shirt that he likes, take a toy that he has chosen for a walk;
hunger. Children may get irritated if they are hungry;
fatigue, overexcitement. Don't expect too much from your baby. Let him rest more often during the day - this will help relieve emotional stress.
confusion. Not allowed to do something, but not explained why. Or mom allows, and dad forbids;

What to do if the tantrum began?

Distract the baby. Lead to the window, look out into the street together. Suggest a walk.
If the baby is crying loudly, try to "cry" with him. Gradually reduce the volume of your crying and switch to sniffing. The kid will most likely start copying you. Get drunk and calm down. Cuddle the baby.
If the baby made a roar in a crowded place, sometimes you should not rush to "evacuate". Let the baby let off steam, take his soul, then follow you.
Use distraction toys. Did the child frown and prepare for a tantrum? You can give him a drum or other strong musical instrument in his hands, let him break evil. And you can show some interesting little thing - to divert attention.

Prevention of nervous breakdowns and neuroses in children

The two main states of the cells of the cerebral cortex (an organ of mental activity) are excitation and inhibition. Due to the processes of excitation, those actions are performed that satisfy our needs and desires that have arisen under the influence of the environment or the reserves that we have, previous impressions - the so-called psychological attitudes.

Mechanisms of nervous breakdowns in children

Due to the processes of inhibition, the excessive activity of our actions is suppressed, the implementation of which would lead to an undesirable conflict with the environment, primarily the social environment.

If earlier it was believed that all mental activity is concentrated only in the cerebral cortex, then modern science testifies to the role of subcortical (located in the depths of the brain) formations. Their state largely determines the excitation and inhibition of cortical cells.

The state of the whole organism also affects the work of the cerebral cortex. Against the background of certain constitutional features of the organism, certain forms of neurotic reactions often develop. Common diseases(infectious, endocrine, hematogenous, etc.), weakening the body as a whole and the nervous system inextricably linked with it, make it more vulnerable and increase the likelihood of neurosis in case of certain “psychological” hazards, which are the main cause of neurosis.

I.P. Pavlov and his school found that a nervous breakdown (neurosis) occurs according to one of three physiological mechanisms:

when overloading excitation processes;
when overloading braking processes;
at their "collision", i.e. when excitation and inhibition collide at the same time.

Most often, a breakdown occurs by the mechanism of overloading the excitation processes. When parents bring a child with some kind of nervous influence (fears, insomnia, irritability, whims, stuttering, twitching, night terrors, etc.) to a psychoneurologist, in the overwhelming majority of cases they confidently declare that the cause is mental damage child, first of all fright. At first glance, everything is clear. The child still has a weak nervous system, and a sharp frightening impression turned out to be too strong for her. From this follow recommendations: to create a protective, sparing, devoid of any harsh impressions for such a child.

However, if we think about the mechanism of the formation of a nervous breakdown and carefully look and analyze what is happening here, a completely different picture will suddenly open before us. As the leading domestic psychoneurologists have repeatedly emphasized, neurosis in adults never arises from the strength or nature of the stimulus, but only from its, as we say, “signal meaning”, i.e. neurosis is caused not by the visual, auditory, pain and other impressions themselves, but by what is connected with them in the mind of a given person, in his life experience. For example, the sight of a burning building can cause neurosis only if a person knows (or assumes) that someone dear to him and something valuable to him is dying in the fire.

The child does not have enough of his own life experience and judges the danger or safety of what is happening according to the reaction of adults, primarily parents and educators.

Examples:

The girl, already a schoolgirl, is terrified of mice, even in pictures. Otherwise, she is even a brave girl: she is not afraid of either dogs or cows. What's the matter? It turns out that when she was still going to kindergarten, during classes a mouse scurried in the corner and the teacher (the highest authority for the children) jumped up on the table with a screech, thereby reinforcing the unconscious perception that “there is no beast worse than a mouse.”

A six-year-old boy, being in a circus at a performance with trained bears, saw a bear guiding him on a motorcycle, screamed wildly in fear and at first was completely speechless, and then stuttered for a long time. What's the matter? Why do thousands of children look with pleasure at trained bears, and he became neurotic? It turned out that when he was 2-3 years old, if he did not obey, his grandmother scared him that a bear would come, and thus the image of a bear heading towards him became a symbol of the most terrible danger.

Interestingly, in another case, a four-year-old girl, who at a circus performance was embraced by a bear escaping into the public, despite the really extreme danger, not only was not frightened, but later declared: “After all, this is a learned bear, he knows how to hug.”

There are many such examples.

Children are usually “braverer” than adults: they are not afraid to climb tall trees, make fires in the apartment, even stick their hand into the cage to the beast, and only instructions from adults, what threatens them, develops their fear of such actions.

Experience shows that children who developed a neurosis from some kind of “fright” had previously repeatedly experienced incomparably stronger shocks (bruises, burns, animal bites, punishments, etc.), causing them to cry for a short time, since they were not accompanied by appropriate warnings from adults about their danger. Even strong pain neither in a child nor in an adult will cause neurosis if they know that it is safe (no one becomes neurotic from a toothache), but moderate unpleasant sensations can become the basis of a persistent neurosis if the experiencer believes that they are dangerous (as often squeezing a sensation in the region of the heart leads to severe cardioneurosis - an obsessive fear for one's heart.

Even in cases where a child has real grief caused by truly tragic events (for example, the death of his mother), affection and calm explanation can gradually console the child and prevent this grief from developing into a persistent neurosis.

The younger the child, the weaker the inhibitory processes are developed in his cortex and the easier they break down when they are overloaded. This happens if the child is shouted all the time: “You can’t!”, “Stop!”, “Don’t touch!”, “Sit still!”.

The child has the right to a joyful active life; he must play, and run, and even fool around. Give him more freedom and independence. It is possible and necessary to prohibit, as already mentioned, only what is absolutely unacceptable, but in this case it is necessary to prohibit firmly and unconditionally.

The disruption of the inhibitory process and the development of unrestraint are also facilitated by the frequent use of punishments associated with long-term imprisonment and mobility: put in a corner, deprived of walks, etc. Imprisonment, by overloading the inhibitory process, always increases aggressiveness. That is why a chain (planted on a chain) dog is synonymous with anger.

According to the mechanism of "collision" of excitation and inhibition, neurosis can occur when the same event or act has both positive and negative reinforcement. For example, a child feels tenderness for a newborn brother and at the same time hostility towards him because he diverts the mother's attention to himself; or at the same time feels love for the father who leaves the family, and hatred for him for this. However, more often such a breakdown occurs through the fault of the parents, when today the child is punished for what yesterday went unpunished; when one of the parents allows or even encourages what the other scolds for; when at home they indulge in what they charge for in kindergarten or school.

Whichever of these three mechanisms causes a nervous breakdown in a child, it becomes fixed and turns into a persistent neurosis if it begins to bring any real or moral benefits, as we have said above.

Children today often develop neurological disorders. Experts note that about half of schoolchildren suffer from emotional instability at certain periods. Sometimes such deviations are temporary, but in some cases they lead to nervous disorders in children, for the treatment of which the help of a neurologist is needed.

Warning Signs

the occurrence of hallucinations;

Any child psychotherapy is aimed at reducing anxiety and fighting fears, easing feelings of guilt and resentment, developing the ability to withstand stress and find a way out of the most difficult situations.

Nervous disorders in children - symptoms, causes, treatment

Children today often develop neurological disorders. Experts note that about half of schoolchildren suffer from emotional instability at certain periods.

Nervous disorders in children - symptoms, causes, treatment
Warning Signs
Forms of nervous disorders in children
What mistakes do parents make?
How to treat nervous disorders in children?
Nervous Disorders in Children: What Parents Should Know
Signs of nervous breakdowns in teenagers
Signs and forms of a nervous breakdown in children
Treatment of children
Signs and causes of a nervous breakdown in adolescents
Adolescent treatment
Nervous breakdown: symptoms and consequences
What is a nervous breakdown?
Causes
In women during pregnancy
In children
Teenagers
Signs of a nervous breakdown
Symptoms of a nervous breakdown
Stages of development
Possible consequences of a nervous breakdown
What is the danger of the disease
How to alert the condition
What to do with a nervous breakdown
Treatment at home
Medications - sedative injections, tablets
Treatment with folk remedies
Which doctor to contact
Prevention of nervous disorders
Nervous breakdown in a child
Signs of the development of neurosis in a child are:
NERVOUS BREAKDOWNS IN CHILDREN
How does a nervous breakdown develop?
Causes of nervous breakdowns
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Sometimes such deviations are temporary, but in some cases they lead to nervous disorders in children, for the treatment of which the help of a neurologist is needed.

Warning Signs

It is very important not to miss the first signs of nervous disorders in a child in order to take timely measures and prevent chronic neurosis in children. It is not difficult to prevent a serious nervous breakdown in children by the symptoms. Warning factors that parents should pay attention to include:

clear advance of peers in mental development;
loss of interest in life in a child, because of which he stops taking care of himself;
excessive interest in a certain subject at school;
the occurrence of hallucinations;
the child often lies or constantly fantasizes in earnest.

These are the main symptoms of a nervous breakdown in a child in the initial stages, in which the disorder can be prevented.

Forms of nervous disorders in children

The most common disorder in children with a nervous breakdown is a nervous tic. It is an unconscious movement that manifests itself in the form of twitching the cheek, shrugging, smacking for no reason, hand movements, etc. A nervous tic is a sign of a nervous breakdown in a child that occurs when the baby does not make conscious movements and remains calm. As soon as he does something, the tick will disappear.

The next nervous disorder in a child, the treatment of which will require more serious treatment, is neurosis. This is an irreversible violation, but the dangerous thing is that parents often ignore its signs, exacerbating the situation. The signs of neurosis include obsessive movements, fears, phobias, depression and tantrums, tearfulness, sadness, quiet speech and panic fear.

Insomnia and worsening sleep is another form of nervous breakdown in a child. The baby begins to sleep restlessly, tossing and turning in his sleep and constantly waking up. In a dream, children begin to talk, and the dreams themselves become very real to them.

Stuttering is a symptom of a nervous breakdown in children about three years old. neurotic stuttering usually develops during the period of speech establishment. It can arise due to information overload or separation from loved ones. Do not try to speed up the development of the baby, trying to turn him into a child prodigy.

Nervous allergy, in which it is very difficult to physically identify any allergen. It is also called idiopathic allergy.

Disorders and nervous breakdowns in a 5-year-old child have different symptoms and treatment, but usually they are associated with improper upbringing. Parents sometimes use punishment systems or provide total control, and in some families there is a difficult situation with constant scandals - all these factors significantly aggravate the state of the child's nervous system.

What mistakes do parents make?

Loving parents are often to blame for the occurrence of neurosis in a child. To avoid the treatment of nervous disorders in children, parents should try not to make common mistakes:

you can not overload the child, sending him to two schools, circles, etc .;
you can’t let the child understand that the location of the parents needs to be earned (feel free to show your love);
parents note personal shortcomings in babies and try to eradicate them - this is also a mistake;
the child should not see scandals in the family;
if the mother of the child does not work, she should not surround the baby with excessive guardianship.

How to treat nervous disorders in children?

At the heart of the treatment of symptoms of nervous disorders in children are different methods of psychotherapy. Often this is a conscious, systematic and smooth weakening of the manifestations of the disorder with the help of psychological means - verbal or non-verbal, depending on the age of the baby.

When very young children have a nervous breakdown, treatment is best done with the whole family. As for older children, family therapy works less effectively for them, especially when parents have personality disorders and need individual psychotherapy themselves.

Therapy using pharmacological agents is used as an additional method. Medications without psychotherapy, they can only suppress the symptoms of a nervous breakdown in a child, but it is necessary first of all to eliminate the causes that cause a nervous breakdown in a child.

Source: Disorders in Children: What Parents Should Know

The health of the child is a natural concern of parents, often already from the period of pregnancy. Cough, snot, fever, sore stomach, rash - and we run to the doctor, look for information on the Internet, buy medicines. But there are also non-obvious symptoms of ill health, which we used to turn a blind eye to, believing that the child will “outgrow”, “this is all the wrong upbringing”, or “he just has such a character”.

Usually these symptoms are manifested in behavior. If you notice that the child behaves strangely, this may be one of the symptoms of a nervous breakdown. Doesn't make eye contact, doesn't talk, often has tantrums, cries all the time or is sad, doesn't play with other children, is aggressive at the slightest provocation, hyperexcitable, has poor attention span, ignores behavior rules, is shy, overly passive, has tics, obsessive movements, stuttering, enuresis, frequent nightmares.

Symptoms of a nervous breakdown in a child

Panic attacks, fears and severe anxiety, excruciating headaches, insomnia, psychosomatic manifestations (ulcers, blood pressure disorders, bronchial asthma, neurodermatitis) can occur.

Remember: what is normal for one age may be an indication of a problem at another. For example, the lack of speech or the poverty of vocabulary is not typical for children older than 4-5 years. Stormy tantrums and tears are a way for a 2–3 year old child to test their parents for strength and find out the limits of acceptable, but inappropriate behavior for a student.

Fear of strangers, losing your mother, darkness, death, natural disasters are natural, according to age norms, up to the younger teenage years. Later, phobias may indicate a troubled mental life. Make sure that you yourself do not require the child to be more mature than he really is. The mental health of preschool children largely depends on their parents.

Carefully observe how the child behaves in different situations and different environments, how he is at home, and how he plays with children on the playground, in kindergarten, whether there are problems at school and with friends. If educators, teachers, other parents complain to you about the behavior of your child, do not take it to heart, but specify what exactly worries them, how often it happens, what are the details and circumstances.

Do not think that they want to humiliate or accuse you of something, compare the information and draw your own conclusions. Perhaps a look from the outside will be a necessary hint, and you will be able to help your child in time: visit a psychologist, psychotherapist, psychiatrist, neurologist. Neuropsychiatric disorders in children are treatable, the main thing is not to start the situation.

Causes of nervous breakdown in children

Mental disorders often have a genetic, organic basis, but this is not a sentence. With the help of upbringing in a favorable environment, their manifestations can be avoided or significantly reduced.

The attitude of parents to the child from birth to 3 years, how the pregnancy and the first months after childbirth went, the emotional state of the mother during this period lay the foundations for the mental health of the child. The most sensitive period: from birth to 1-1.5 years, when the personality of the baby is formed, his further ability to adequately perceive the world around him and adapt flexibly to it.

Nervous disorders in children: treatment

Not all difficulties require the intervention of doctors. Sometimes a child reacts painfully to sudden changes in the family: divorce of parents, conflicts between them, the birth of a brother or sister, the death of one of the close relatives, the appearance of new partners in parents, moving, starting to attend a kindergarten or school. Often the source of problems is the system of relations that has developed in the family and between mother and father, the style of education.

Preserving the Mental Health of Children: Essential Skills

empathy - the ability to read and understand the feelings, emotions and state of another person without merging with him, imagining two as a single whole;
the ability to express in words their feelings, needs, desires;
the ability to hear and understand another, to conduct a dialogue;
the ability to establish and maintain the psychological boundaries of the individual;
the tendency to see the source of control of one's life in oneself without falling into guilt or omnipotence.

Read literature, attend lectures and seminars on parenting, engage in your own development as a person. Apply this knowledge in communication with the child. Feel free to ask for help and advice.

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Source: nervous breakdowns in adolescents

The modern way of life negatively affects not only the health of adults, but also children. Nervous disorders in children are very common, but parents are not able to determine this pathology, thinking that this is another whim. With the younger generation, circumstances are much easier, because they are able to talk about their feelings, and signs of a nervous breakdown in a teenager help to make a final diagnosis. Children, on the other hand, are very active and it is sometimes difficult to determine when the action comes from nervousness, and in which case it simply needs to release excess energy. Therefore, you have to resort to the help of specialists.

Signs and forms of a nervous breakdown in children

Parents need to monitor the child and note the actions that become a habit. A nervous breakdown manifests itself differently in each person, the same applies to children. One person withdraws into himself, while others, on the contrary, prefer to shout loudly and throw tantrums. If your child has taken to the habit of rolling on the floor and screaming wildly, it is best to contact a neurologist who can dispel all doubts. According to experts, neurosis arises solely on the basis of an internal conflict, due to which the emotional state becomes unbalanced.

The main warning signs include the following:

The occurrence of hallucinations;
Leading the mental development of their peers;
The child, in all seriousness, begins to fantasize or deceive;
Loss of interest in life
Strong interest in one subject at school (excessive hobby).

These symptoms appear only in initial stage nervous breakdown, and to prevent their development, contact a neurologist in time.

How do neurological disorders manifest in children?

Nervous tic. Very often, nervous disorders in children manifest themselves in this form, which is expressed in unconscious twitching of the limbs, cheeks, shrugging the shoulders, unreasonable movement of the hand, smacking, and so on. If you notice a nervous tic in a child when he is in a calm state, this is the first sign of a nervous breakdown. With active activity, the tick disappears.
Poor sleep or insomnia. If your child previously slept well, but suddenly begins to toss and turn often, sleep restlessly and wakes up very often, you should also pay attention to this symptom. In this form of the disorder, children also talk during sleep, and it becomes very realistic.
Neurosis. This is the most serious form of manifestation of the disease and parents should pay special attention to the following symptoms: sadness, hysteria, phobias, frequent fears, obsessive movements, quiet speech, depression, panic fear. As soon as you notice these symptoms, contact a specialist immediately.
Stuttering. This form of the disorder occurs in children around the age of three. During this period, the baby learns to talk. It is very important not to overload the child, because due to the information load, he may experience stress. Ultimately, what matters is a healthy child, not a potential child prodigy. Stuttering also manifests itself when separated from loved ones.
Enuresis. When a child experiences a strong shock, overexcitation, he urinates in the bed. During this period, there is an unstable mood, numerous whims and increased tearfulness.
Anorexia. This form of nervous breakdown is expressed in loss of appetite. If a child was forced to eat in childhood, then in adolescence this, as a rule, “poured out” in the pursuit of a slender figure. It is best to treat anorexia at an early age, as teenagers show more independence and rely on their inexperience.

Very often, the development of a nervous breakdown leads to the wrong behavior of parents, despite all the love on their part. To avoid the development of the disease and its appearance a priori, try to avoid the following actions:

To note the shortcomings of the child, constantly pointing out their weakness, as if trying to eradicate them. In this case, it is better to concentrate on the wealth that needs to be acquired;
Send the child to two schools, circles and other sections that he does not like, creating an overload;
Overprotection of a child;
Scandals in the family;
To show that the child must win favor with his parents, deserve it. Try to show your love.

Treatment of children

The treatment of nervous breakdowns in children consists of different methods in psychotherapy. Depending on age, both non-verbal and verbal therapy can be used. However, at the heart of any technique is the idea of dealing with anxiety and fears. It is necessary to reduce the patient's anxiety, return him to a harmonious life. To do this, you need to remove all resentment, guilt and get out of stress. If a nervous breakdown is observed in a child, then it is desirable to conduct psychotherapy sessions with the whole family. However, in the case of teenagers, it is better to trust a professional without resorting to the help of parents. Moreover, some adults themselves have personality disorders.

As regards the application medications, then they are used as an addition and only in advanced cases. Drugs, of course, can ease anxiety and cure a breakdown for a while, but if the cause is not removed, which is decided exclusively with a psychotherapist, the disease will return again and, perhaps, with greater force.

What should parents do when their child has a nervous breakdown?

As a rule, children accumulate tension in kindergarten or at home, which sooner or later breaks out. If you feel like your child is on the verge of a tantrum, try the following:

When the baby is already on the edge and ready to throw a tantrum, smile at him, kiss him and tell a joke.
Try to switch the attention of the child. This must be done abruptly in order to cause surprise. One way is to fake a tantrum by making a preventive move. In some cases, this causes surprise and reassurance.

What to do if your child has already had a nervous breakdown:

Put your child in a cool shower. If he is not able to do it on his own, take it and carry it to the bath. Spray as a last resort cold water in the face or put ice on the forehead, a bag of frozen vegetables, a towel moistened with cold water. As you know, cold water slows down reactions in the body, negative energy is washed away, emotions recede;
Use the mirror technique. The bottom line is to repeat all the actions that the baby does. At a young age, this causes great surprise and reassurance, hysteria is replaced by curiosity;
If an attack occurs, remove all dangerous objects away, as the child does not understand what he is doing and does not control himself. He can easily pick up an object and throw it wherever he wants;
Create an environment of privacy. Some calm down when they are left alone, but you still need to watch the baby discreetly.

What actions should be taken after a tantrum happened:

Prepare hot tea and add a couple of drops of motherwort to it. This will calm the nervous system, the brain will come into balance, and the child will fall asleep;
Often brew herbal teas with St. John's wort, mint, motherwort, fennel, lavender. This is especially true if the child often cries and breaks down.

Do not forget about other preventive measures, in particular, B vitamins can remove negative emotional reactions and reduce the amount of stress. Biscuits, cheese, egg yolk, beets, tomatoes, pears, spinach, cauliflower, carrots and other dairy products are very useful for the nervous system. Recently, it has been shown that folic acid helps to reduce the amount of the amino acid homocysteine, which has an increased level in children prone to tantrums and a nervous breakdown.

Signs and causes of a nervous breakdown in adolescents

Probably, every person with age looks with apprehension at the younger generation, comparing his youth with modern generation. In any case, it can be noted that teenagers behave extremely provocatively, noisily, aggressively and obscenely. At home, of course, almost everyone follows the rules of decency, but at school or on the street, most often behavior changes greatly. As a result, individuals who are very gullible, subject to strong emotions and unable to protect themselves, receive psychological trauma, and they hit a person an order of magnitude stronger than physical ones.

The transferred psychological trauma is capable of interfering with full development with age or throughout life, if it is not removed. Since in the post-Soviet space it is not yet customary to go to a psychologist, people are forced to cope with these problems on their own.

What causes the development of a nervous breakdown?

Unfavorable group among acquaintances or at school;

Inability to stand up for yourself and defend your point of view;

Unfavorable climate within the family;

Lack of a favorite activity;

Frequent stress and emotional tension.

Signs of a nervous breakdown:

The teenager begins to withdraw into himself, avoids all contact with friends, blames others;
Shows excessive activity. However, this is much less common, since an outburst of emotions, even in the most primitive and ugly form, helps a person get rid of negativity;
During relaxation, the limbs of the body begin to twitch;
Poor sleep and insomnia;
Constant dialogues and disputes within the personality;
Depression and apathy towards the outside world.

Parents should show maximum attention, because suicidal acts often occur among the younger generation and it seems that modern school education only contributes to this. Show more care, try to spend the weekend together, leaving the countryside for fishing or just relaxing. This will protect the teenager from bad company, if any. Push him to sign up for interesting sections where there is a "healthy" team. If the child feels a negative and dismissive attitude from other teenagers, give it to the sports section, wrestling or other types of combat. Thus, he will feel confident in himself, will be able to defend his point of view.

Adolescent treatment

Like any treatment for a nervous breakdown, adolescents need to follow certain rules:

Avoid conflict communication, surround yourself with a favorable society;
Drink herbal teas with soothing herbs more often;
Engage in light sports;
Listen to relaxing music;
If you want to do yoga, meditation;
Be sure to contact a psychotherapist who will help solve pressing problems and identify the cause of a nervous breakdown.

My son is 11 years old, I began to observe that recently he began to withdraw into himself more often. He is afraid to once again go outside for a walk, says that he is being pursued by some unknown people in a car. At first I was frightened, but then I realized that my son was inventing and believing in his own fiction, because there were no specifics, just a phobia. He also began to urinate in the bed at night, which had not happened for three years. Have addressed to the neuropathologist, now we are surveyed. Very worrisome.

Success in treatment

My daughter constantly lies, what kind of fictional friends she has, she thought that it was just a childish fantasy, but as it turned out, she needed to contact a specialist.

In teenagers, unfortunately, it becomes a frequent disease. School, street, computer games - all this affects the nerves.

Often, nervous breakdowns in a child are a direct consequence of an unhealthy situation in the family. Often. Therefore, maybe before going to a neurologist, you should put things in order psychologically in the house?!

I agree, the explosive atmosphere in the family, the dislike of the child lead to breakdowns. It is not always possible to solve a family situation on your own. You can also turn to psychologists.

Probably, we need to watch the children more, constantly be interested in what is happening around them, ask what worries them.

I think if you pay more attention to the child, talk to him more, it will be easier to understand him and the difficulties he has to face. Many parents have forgotten that they were also teenagers!

As for me, the most basic signal to start worrying is a change in your child's behavior, and the more noticeable these changes, the more attention you need to pay to it, and then according to the results.

The teenage period is not easy, there is no need to wither over the child as over gold. During this period, you need to be friends with him and watch him, be interested in hobbies.

Now teenagers are highly exposed to external factors, because before there was no Internet, computer games, social media and more. In addition, they always had something to do in the same circles, but now everything is completely different.

I believe that in order to avoid such nervous breakdowns, you need to spend more time with your child, communicating with him. This way you will know what exactly is bothering him and how to help him!

There are many reasons for such a breakdown in adolescents, especially in our time. Here the Internet, social networks, environment, problems in the family, uncertainty, and the period itself is quite fragile from the point of view of psychology.

I think that proper nutrition, vitamins and good sleep are very important for teenagers. And of course love, support, attention. Then there will definitely be fewer problems! If there are radical problems that a parent cannot solve, then it is better to see a psychologist.

We were all teenagers at one time, for some this period is easier. Many problems in children are due to misunderstanding of parents, but all people learn from their mistakes. Give your child more oxygen!

I don’t even know under what circumstances and conditions a teenager can have a nervous breakdown, but it’s better, of course, not to bring your child to such a situation. I understand, for example, nervous breakdowns in adults, but in adolescents this is really a rarity - in any case, I have never noticed this in my lifetime.

I will only say one thing. If a child is brought up in normal conditions, they are dealt with, often talked to, and you have normal trusting relationships, then you will thereby protect him from breakdowns. Of course, not everyone has such an opportunity, but you need to strive for this.

Adolescence is quite difficult, just remember yourself. I was unbearable and what was missing for me? A little more freedom and understanding on the part of parents.

Now children are no longer who we were in our childhood. Many become isolated in games, social networks and walk a little. In addition, there is the Internet, and there are many things you can find. The way out is family upbringing and trusting relationships.

My parents generally did not even allow the thought that I could have a nervous breakdown or overexertion. I hid it as best I could. Although it was hard, at seven the climate was terrible. Now the mother herself, I will try to be more attentive to my son.

Sometimes it seems to me that there is increased attention to a teenager, the fault of all the bad things that happen to him. He sees what the mother is going through and that he does not endure and the child continues, sometimes children need not only to be understood, but also punished, to be strict with them.

Yet earlier, the younger generation had fewer worries and stresses. There were clubs, sports and more. Now the Internet, social networks, games have appeared, and it is not surprising that such changes cause stress for many teenagers.

Source: Relapse: Symptoms and Consequences

A nervous breakdown, the symptoms of which are classified as neuroses, occurs when a person is under excessive or sudden stress. The patient feels an acute attack of anxiety, after which there is a violation of the lifestyle familiar to him. As a result of a nervous breakdown or burnout syndrome, as it is also called in medicine, there is a feeling of impossibility of control over one's actions and feelings. A person completely surrenders to the anxiety and anxiety that dominates him.

What is a nervous breakdown?

A nervous breakdown is a mental disorder associated with psychological trauma. This condition can be caused by dismissal from work, unfulfilled desires or increased overwork. In many cases, a nervous breakdown, the treatment of which is determined individually, is positive reaction organism (protective). As a result of mental overstrain, acquired immunity arises. When a person reaches a critical state for the psyche, then the long-accumulated nervous tension is released.

Causes

Mental disorders do not occur out of the blue. Causes of a nervous breakdown:

financial difficulties;
bad habits;
genetic predisposition;
regular stress;
fatigue;
menopause;
lack of vitamins;
conflicts with the boss;
noisy upstairs neighbors;
husband is a domestic tyrant;
mother-in-law brings;
the field of activity is associated with stress;
other events bring the child to school.

In women during pregnancy

All girls experience many changes while carrying a baby, but not all of them are pleasant. The main cause of mental disorders during pregnancy or after childbirth is a change in the hormonal background of a woman and toxicosis with vomiting. Actively produced female body hormones are essential for the normal development of the child.

At the same time, they also affect the pregnant woman. She becomes nervous, there are mood swings. At a later date, future mother nervous stress happens due to the need to work, because during this period it is difficult for her to do anything at all. A woman on maternity leave often gains excess weight, which is not the best way to reflect on her appearance, so negative conditions arise. Nervous stress in a pregnant woman is dangerous, because there is an effect on the child.

In children

Children at a young age are still mentally immature, so it is most difficult for them to restrain emotions. The child is in the process of formation, the mechanisms of his brain are imperfect, so he easily develops a neurotic disorder. It is possible to bring children to a breakdown by improper upbringing, but this is not necessarily the result of the malicious intent of the parents. In some cases, they do not take into account the age characteristics of their child, do not try to figure out the reasons for some actions in order to strengthen the baby's nervous system.

Teenagers

Adolescents in adolescence are prone to mental disorders. Sometimes it becomes an impossible task for them to just calm down, and it is generally unrealistic to cope with a strong shock. The occurrence of mental disorders at this age often in adulthood leads to the development of schizophrenia, a tendency to suicide. The first symptoms of neurosis in a teenager are non-specific, and can be taken as a consequence of hormonal changes.

Signs of a nervous breakdown

At different people completely different signs of a nervous breakdown. A woman has uncontrollable nervous breakdowns, tantrums, breaking dishes, fainting. In men, the symptoms are more hidden, because the stronger sex rarely shows emotions, which has the most negative consequences on the psyche and physical health. In women with a small child, depression is visible to the “naked eye”: tears, verbal aggression. While the anger of a man often turns into physical aggression, which is directed at an object or a person.

Symptoms of a nervous breakdown

How does a nervous breakdown manifest itself? Symptoms of nervous tension depend on the type of symptoms. Depression, negative emotions and somatic disorders are expressed in an emotional, physical or behavioral state. If the cause of a nervous breakdown was external stimuli, physical fatigue or excessive stress, then it manifests itself in the form of insomnia or drowsiness, memory lapses, headaches and dizziness.

Mental symptoms: the most common form. Factors in the development of the disease include various phobias, stress disorders, generalized fear, panic or obsessive states. Schizophrenia also manifests itself as a mental symptom. Patients are constantly in a depressed state, finding solace in alcohol or drug addiction.
Physical symptoms: manifested in the weakening of volitional activity or its complete absence. Separate instincts are suppressed: sexual (reduced sexual desire), food (decreased appetite, anorexia), defensive (lack of protective actions against an external threat). Body temperature and blood pressure can rise to critical levels, fatigue of the legs, general weakness, back pain, increased heart rate (tachycardia, angina pectoris) occur. Against the background of nervous stress, constipation, diarrhea, migraines, nausea appear.
Behavioral symptoms: a person is not able to perform some activity, does not hold back anger when communicating, screams, uses insults. An individual can leave without explaining his behavior to others, is characterized by aggressiveness, cynicism when communicating with loved ones.

Stages of development

Symptoms of a nervous breakdown in a person do not appear immediately and that's it. The development of the disease occurs in three stages:

First, there comes a reassessment of possibilities, a person feels a surge of strength, a false rise in vital energy. During this period of take-off, the patient does not think about his limited powers.
The second stage occurs when a person comes to understand that he is not omnipotent. The body fails, escalates chronic diseases, there is a crisis in relations with loved ones. Moral and physical exhaustion occurs, a person becomes depressed, especially if he encounters provoking factors.
The peak of the disorder of the nervous system occurs in the third stage. With a complication of the disease, a person loses faith in himself, shows aggression, thoughts first appear, and then suicide attempts. The situation is aggravated by constant headaches, disturbances in the work of the cardiovascular system, conflict situations with the environment.

Possible consequences of a nervous breakdown

If the treatment of a nervous breakdown is not started in time, various diseases may subsequently develop. Without negative consequences for human health, disorders with symptoms of neurosis do not go away. Prolonged depression or nervous tension leads to:

to severe forms of gastritis;
diabetes mellitus;
physical attack on strangers or loved ones;
suicide.

What is the danger of the disease

If a nervous breakdown is not treated, then a dangerous consequence of such a condition occurs - emotional exhaustion. At this point, the person needs health care so that he doesn't go to extremes. Nervous exhaustion is dangerous because of the loss of control over one's actions, up to and including suicide. On a nervous basis, a person can jump out of a window, swallow pills, or start taking drugs.

How to alert the condition

If a person is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, it is advisable for him to learn how to independently cope with emotional overstrain and exhaustion of the body. You need to change the environment, buy new things, allow yourself to sleep and have fun. Our ancestors treated a nervous breakdown with tinctures of valerian, motherwort, peony.

In the old days, they tried to calm shattered nerves with a bucket of spring water, which was poured on the head of a person suffering from a nervous breakdown. Modern doctors also advise dousing with cold water in an intense stressful situation. If you cannot maintain mental health on your own or with the help of loved ones, then seek help from a psychologist.

What to do with a nervous breakdown

When a person has a nervous breakdown at home or at work, first aid should be given to him. How quickly the patient will restore his emotional background depends on the behavior of the people around him. If a nervous breakdown occurs, the interlocutor needs:

Remain calm, do not get hysterical, do not raise your voice.
Speak in an even calm tone, do not make sudden movements.
Create a feeling of warmth by sitting next to or hugging.
When talking, you need to take such a position in order to be on the same level with the patient, not to rise.
Do not give advice, prove something or reason logically.
Try to shift your attention to something else.
Try to get the person out to fresh air.
With psychosis, which is accompanied by a complete loss of self-control, an ambulance should be called for hospitalization.

Treatment at home

Treatment of a nervous breakdown at home is carried out without medication. If mental experiences are caused by prolonged psychological stress, then you can get rid of them yourself by adjusting your diet. Eat more foods that are rich in lecithin, polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins B: vegetable oil, eggs, legumes, honey, seafood, sea fish, liver.

It is possible to treat sleep disturbance and constant fatigue if you properly build a daily routine. To restore strength, you need a healthy sleep, at least 8 hours a day. Morning jogging, walking, being in nature will help to remove the state of anxiety. If these methods do not help, then other methods of treatment are used. A person can go to the hospital, where he will be sent to the department for rehabilitation.

Under the supervision of a psychiatrist or psychotherapist, he is prescribed and injected (or put on a dropper) sedative medications, and therapy is carried out aimed at eliminating acute panic attacks and phobias. They are treated in the hospital from several days to several months, depending on the severity and type of the disease. It is possible to leave the hospital after the person has the opportunity self control their emotions.

Medications - sedative injections, tablets

Most people during psychological stress drink sedatives, and with insomnia for a long period - sedatives. Medications do not always achieve the desired effect, since they either suppress excitation in the cerebral cortex or enhance the processes of inhibition. In mild forms of anxiety neurosis, doctors prescribe sedatives along with vitamin complexes and minerals, for example, Corvalol and Magne B6. Popular drugs that are used to treat mental disorders:

Antipsychotics, antidepressants and tranquilizers are powerful drugs. Medicines of this group stop the manifestation of anger, anxiety, a state of panic, depression. As for antidepressants, on the contrary, they cheer up, help to reduce negative and increase positive emotions. These include: Sertraline, Citalopram, Fevarin. Tranquilizers are divided into three subgroups: benzodiazepine receptor agonists (Tofisopam, Mezapam, Clozepid), Serotonin prescription antagonists (Dolasetron, Tropispirone, Buspirone) and a mixed subgroup of Mebicar, Amizil, Atarax.
Herbal sedatives. With a mild form of mood swings, irritability, or emotional instability, doctors prescribe herbal medicines. Their mechanism of action is to inhibit the processes of excitation so that the brain does not suffer during nervous stress or hysteria. Popular means: Novo-passit, Sedavit, Relaxil.
Vitamins and amino acids. With strong excitement or excessive fussiness, vitamin complexes help to neutralize these symptoms. For the nervous system, you need a sufficient amount of vitamin B, E, biotin, choline, thiamine. The brain needs amino acids such as tryptophan, tyrosine, and glutamic acid to function properly.
Nootropics. The use of nootropic drugs stimulates mental activity, activates memory processes. Nootropics facilitate the interaction of the left and right hemispheres, prolong life, and rejuvenate the body. Best nootropic drugs: Piracetam, Vinpocetine, Phenibut.
Anxiolytics. Used to quickly relieve psychosomatic symptoms. They reduce the excitability of the limbic system, thymus and hypothalamus, reduce tension and fear, and even out the emotional background. The best anxiolytics: Afobazole, Stresam.
Mood stabilizers. They are called normotimics. This is a group of psychotropic drugs, the main action of which is to stabilize the mood in patients with depression, schizophrenia, cyclothymia and dysthymia. Medicines can prevent or shorten relapses, slow down the development of the disease, and alleviate irascibility and impulsivity. The name of common normotimics: Gabapentin, Risperidone, Verapamil and others.
Homeopathic medicines and dietary supplements. The effectiveness of this group is a controversial issue among physicians. However, many people on the forums in their reviews indicate that homeopathy and dietary supplements help with nervous disorders. Such homeopathic preparations as Ignatia, Platinum, Chamomilla have a pronounced effect. Dietary supplements: folic acid, Inotizol, Omega-3.

Treatment with folk remedies

The most popular in the treatment of neurosis is valerian. To overcome a nervous breakdown, take it as an herbal decoction, alcoholic tincture, or simply by adding the dried root to tea. It is very useful for insomnia to inhale before going to bed with a mixture of valerian tincture with essential oil lavender.

Another effective folk remedy from depression - melissa tincture, which is brewed for 50 g of grass 0.5 liters of boiling water. Then insist 20 minutes and drink this dose throughout the day. Peppermint and honey, which are added to the lemon balm decoction, will help speed up the sedative effect at the first prerequisites for a nervous breakdown.

Folk methods offer to be treated for a nervous breakdown with the help of garlic with milk. During a strong mental stress, rub 1 clove of garlic on a grater and mix with a glass of warm milk. Take a soothing drink on an empty stomach before breakfast for 30 minutes.

Which doctor to contact

Not many people know which doctor treats disorders of the nervous system. If the above symptoms appear, contact a neurologist, neurologist, psychiatrist or psychotherapist. At the doctor's appointment, you should not be shy. Tell us in detail about your condition and complaints. The specialist will ask a lot of clarifying questions that will help to correctly diagnose. Then the doctor will prescribe some procedures to determine the presence of other diseases (for example, chronic diseases hearts). Therapy is carried out only after receiving the results of the tests and a thorough diagnosis.

Prevention of nervous disorders

Recognizing the causes of a nervous breakdown is not easy for a non-professional. To avoid the manifestation of symptoms of mental disorders and prevent a nervous breakdown, one should refrain from using products that excite the nervous system: alcohol, drugs, coffee, spicy, fried foods and seek medical help in time.

In order to recognize in time and protect yourself from a nervous breakdown, you need to reduce, and if possible, eliminate stressful situations, excessive anxiety. Regular visits to the gym, sections on interests, a relaxing massage of the solar plexus zone, daily walks, and shopping will help increase the hormone of happiness in the blood. To effectively combat a nervous breakdown, it is important to alternate work and rest.

It is generally accepted that nervous breakdowns are a negative phenomenon and cause anxiety for the state of the nervous system. Neurosis in children causes even more anxiety in their parents, because it is hard to imagine what the next tantrum of a child will actually turn into. Partly a nervous breakdown has its own positive sides: there is a release of negative emotions that have accumulated for a long time, and psychological relief occurs.

A nervous breakdown in a child resembles crying in its effect - when a person cries, he splashes out all the experiences and accumulated resentments, after which he becomes easier and calmer. This is a kind of way out of a stressful situation.

The nervous system of children is very unstable and is formed for quite a long time, so babies usually endure stress and anxiety more difficult than adults. Nervous breakdowns in them can occur quite often and manifest themselves in the form of crying, tantrums.

The symptoms of neurosis in children are almost the same as in adults: a sharp change in mood, irritability, and a severe psychological state.

Signs of the development of neurosis in a child are:

- constant feeling of fatigue and weakness;

- vulnerability and sensitivity - the child thinks that he is being treated badly, that those around him are harming him;

- touchiness and tearfulness;

- irritability - any request or advice from others causes aggression or resentment;

- the child's sleep pattern is disturbed, there are problems with digestion.

If you notice that the child has one of these symptoms, and after crying or a surge of emotions, he feels better, then you should not panic. But if your child regularly has nervous breakdowns, is this an occasion to think about the reasons for this and analyze whether you are doing everything right?

The main reasons for the development of neurosis in children are the mistakes in education that their parents make. It often happens that it is conflicts in the family that provoke nervous breakdowns in children. If you do not pay due attention to the problem in time, then later it can develop into serious psychological or even mental illness.

Neurosis does not arise by itself. It is always the result of stress, a difficult psychological situation, fear, when a child is forced to do something by force. Constant pressure from parents, too strict attitude of adults can provoke constant psychological stress. The lack of a parenting strategy and unity, when one allows everything, and the other forbids it, “knocks down the landmarks” of the child, and in one way or another he will not live up to the expectations of one of the parents.

Fright of the baby or lack of support from parents in a difficult situation can provoke a nervous breakdown.

As a treatment, patients are first advised to consult a psychologist. Many parents are hesitant to take their child to a specialist, afraid to admit that there is a problem. Such a position can only harm the child and aggravate the condition. There is nothing wrong with the fact that the doctor will help you and your baby understand the causes of a nervous breakdown and tell you how to behave so that the situation does not happen again. Sometimes a child may need the help of a psychotherapist.

Yesterday we started talking about nervous breakdowns in preschoolers and younger schoolchildren, and found out with you that most of the nervous breakdowns and mental problems of children are “guilty” of parental gaps in education and a bad example of their own wrong behavior. Let's talk to you further and look at some examples.

Examples of Positive and Negative Adult Influences

To illustrate the influence of adults on the formation of neuroses in children, I will give several examples that reflect the wrong and right reactions of parents and other adults involved in education.

Olga R., 7 years old, is hysterically afraid of mice, even in photographs and pictures, although on the whole she is a rather brave girl who is not afraid of either dogs or wild animals. Why such a panic at the sight of mice? The thing is that while still a pupil of a kindergarten, during classes, she witnessed the teacher's panic reaction to a mouse that scurried across the floor. The tutor was the highest authority for the child, and the girl remembered the reaction of the woman, who jumped into the chair with a squeal and a terrible cry. In the subconscious of the child, the stereotype “a mouse is a terrible beast!” was entrenched.

Nikita Sh., 6 years old, went with his mother to the circus for a performance with trained bears. When the child saw a bear that was heading towards him on a scooter, the child screamed very loudly and became speechless, and later began to stutter. Why did this happen, because many children attend such performances, but are not afraid? When clarifying the circumstances, it was found that at the age of three the child was with his grandmother for a long time in the village, who, for disobedience, frightened the child with the fact that a bear would come and drag him into the forest. The symbol of the bear was a shock factor for the child, and a breakdown occurred when he met a real bear.

Irina U., 4 years old, was walking down the street with her mother, and a neighbor's dog rushed at them. Despite the danger, the girl was not afraid, because her mother always told her that a dog is a man's best friend. She then told her mother “the dog barked and wanted to tell us something, so it ran up to us so sharply.” This is the right style of parenting, without intimidation and exaggeration. And these are not all examples of different approaches to education.

Children usually perceive danger differently and they are bolder than adults. Remember how, as a child, you were not afraid to climb tall trees, stick your hands into cages for animals, kindle fires or jump over deep ditches and ditches. The feeling of fear is formed in children based on the reactions of parents and the accumulation of their own negative experience. Leading to fear are mainly instructions from adults that it is painful, dangerous or scary. It has been shown by experience that those children who developed neuroses as a result of intense fright experienced earlier in their lives many times sufficiently pronounced and severe shocks as a result of bruises or burns, punishments or animal bites. These responses elicited short-term crying responses in them, but were not accompanied by corresponding adult responses to danger. It is also worth knowing that even severe pain in both a child and an adult will not cause neurosis if you know that such pain is not dangerous - for example, a toothache is unpleasant, but it does not cause neurosis.

However, moderate but long-term discomfort can cause persistent neuroses if the child who experiences them believes that such manifestations are dangerous to life and health. For example, compressive or stabbing pains in the region of the heart can lead to the development of severe cardioneurosis due to fear that the heart may stop. But on the other hand, even severe emotional upheavals and grief in children, which is provoked by rather tragic events (the death of a loved one), with a tactful and affectionate approach and a calm explanation, can comfort the baby and prevent his problems from turning into neuroses. It is worth remembering that the younger the child, the less developed the processes of inhibition in the cerebral cortex will be, the easier it will be for breakdowns to occur when the nervous system is overloaded. This can happen because the child is being pulled all the time - “stop”, “this is impossible”, “sit still” or “do not touch!”.

It is worth remembering that children are restless and inquisitive, they have the right to an active and joyful life, they physically need to play, run, play pranks and jump, this is an outlet for their irrepressible energy. It is necessary to give them more independence and freedom in behavior, and it is necessary to prohibit only what is absolutely unacceptable or threatening life and health. But in this case, a strict, firm and unconditional ban is necessary. Disruptions in the inhibitory processes of the child and the development of his hyperactivity and irrepressibility can be facilitated by the frequent and unreasonable use of punishments, which are associated with a long-term restriction of their freedom of movement and mobility. These are such punishments as setting in a corner, deprivation of walks, a ban on running or jumping with sitting on a chair. When children are deprived of freedom of movement, inhibitory processes are overloaded, which leads to an increase in aggressiveness (remember: dogs on a chain are symbols of aggression).

At this age, it is a clash of processes of both excitation and inhibition. These are situations when the same act of a child or an event in his life has both positive and negative reinforcement at the same time. So, for example, a child experiences both tenderness and hostility towards a newborn younger child due to the fact that the baby distracts too much of the mother’s attention to self-care. Or another situation - when the parents part, the child experiences both love and resentment for the departing father for leaving the family. But these are not particularly typical situations, much more often there are breakdowns due to the fault of the parents themselves and their conflicting attitude towards the child, when the child is punished on the same day for those offenses that were previously quite acceptable, or when the mother allows or even encourages to do what which the father categorically forbids. In addition, it is bad when parents indulge in whims and deeds for which a child can be punished at school or kindergarten. Whatever the mechanism of development of a nervous breakdown and neurosis in a child, it gradually becomes fixed and turns into persistent neuroses, especially if such a nervous state brings any moral or physical benefits to the child.

How to treat it, how to fight?

Unlike many other pathologies, the treatment of nervous disorders in a child is quite effective. Even in cases of rather severe neurosis in children with whom psychiatrists work, it is quite possible to cure the child with the use of pedagogical techniques that can be applied even at home with the help of a specialist. The main method in the treatment of nervous breakdowns and neuroses are the methods of psychotherapy, which are used by both doctors and teachers and psychologists, although they never call this method. One of the most positive methods in psychotherapy is a change of scenery and elimination of the causes that caused deviations in the psyche, as well as the formation of an influx of new positive and joyful impressions. In addition, another method of psychotherapeutic influence, which experts call the speech method, can also be used. This is a treatment by verbal influences on the child and his consciousness. At the same time, the authoritative words of educators in children are of particular importance in the treatment of nervous disorders.

One of the methods used in psychotherapy is the stimulation technique, in which the main goal is to awaken in the child the desire to quickly and completely recover. And in the end, it is necessary to make sure that the child himself applies his own strength to the process of recovery, so he will also learn to overcome obstacles in the future on the path of life. In this method, the word of educators and doctors, as authorities for the baby, will be especially significant. At the same time, even small victories in the fight against the disease will become a huge incentive for the child to move on, they will give self-confidence and cheerfulness. It is important for parents to support and encourage the child in every possible way, to tell him how good he is and how well he copes with everything, and also to agree on a single style of education so that distortions do not occur in the future.

Tatyana Markina, a psychologist and creator of the Step to Happiness psychological studio, tells how neuropsychiatric disorders can manifest themselves in children,

how to recognize psychological trauma

and what parents need to pay attention to.

Usually these symptoms are manifested in behavior.

If you notice that the child behaves strangely, this may be one of the symptoms of a nervous breakdown.

Remember: what is normal for one age may be an indication of a problem at another.

See also: Psychologist: “The main feeling with which children talk about their parents is fear”

Causes of nervous breakdown in children

The most sensitive period: from birth to 1-1.5 years, when the personality of the baby is formed, his further ability to adequately perceive the world around him and adapt flexibly to it.

Often the source of problems is the system of relations that has developed in the family and between mother and father, the style of education.

Preserving the Mental Health of Children: Essential Skills

Read literature, attend lectures and seminars on parenting, engage in your own development as a person.

Apply this knowledge in communication with the child. Feel free to ask for help and advice.

How to prevent a nervous breakdown in a child? What are the symptoms? What parenting mistakes lead to a nervous breakdown in a child? About this and much more in this article.

Nervous breakdowns in children

Let's explain with specific examples.

The child was frightened by the dog that rushed at him, he began to stutter. (There is an overstrain of the irritable process).
The mother forced her three-year-old daughter to eat, threatening with a belt. The girl could not stand semolina, but "restrained" herself, ate through force, fearing punishment. As a result of an overstrain of the inhibitory process, she developed anorexia - an aversion to food and nervous vomiting.
The family broke up. The husband began a lawsuit for the right to raise his son. The boy loved both his father and mother and did not want to part with either of his parents. And his father and mother alternately slandered him at each other, humiliated each other. As a result of an overstrain of the mobility of nervous processes, their collision, the child developed night fears.

Causes of a nervous breakdown in children

EXAMPLE:

Vova grew up as a very inquisitive boy. He asked so many questions during the day that one day his grandmother threatened him: “If you don’t shut up right now, I’ll call the Baba Yaga, she will drag you into the forest.” - "And I'll run away! "-" You will not run away, she will bewitch you, your legs will be taken away. At this time they called. “You see,” said the grandmother and went to open the door. The postman entered the room, an old woman, gray-haired, all wrinkled. Vova immediately understood; baba yaga! He noticed with horror that the Baba Yaga was looking straight at him. “I don’t want to go to the forest! The boy wanted to scream, but his voice was gone. He decided to run away to another room, but his legs did not work, they "were taken away." Vova fell to the floor. They called an ambulance. The boy was admitted to the hospital. He could neither walk nor speak, he lay all the time with tightly closed eyes.

EXAMPLE:

Factors that cause a nervous breakdown in young children:

Acute sudden shock.
A long-acting psycho-traumatic situation, which gradually causes stress, leads to a collision and a nervous breakdown.

Prevention of nervous breakdowns in preschool children

With the wrong methods of upbringing, undesirable character traits and bad habits can form in children.

Caring for the child's nervous system begins from the first days of his life. We will not talk about the importance of the regimen, rational nutrition, and the fulfillment of hygiene requirements. All this is more or less known to the parents. Less well known to them are the correct methods of education that help the formation of a healthy nervous system in a child.

Examples of life situations

As it turned out, the boy was not stupid at all: he showed natural curiosity at his age. And yet before this is clearly a sick child.

Then my mother said:

Misha, you will stain your new suit. Take a newspaper, lay it down and then you can lie on it.

The randomness of orders caused the same chaotic state in his nervous system. Incessant pain stimuli also undoubtedly had a harmful effect on his nervous system.

Let us add to these convincing words the fact that fear and pain upset the nervous system.

Preschool age has peculiar features that leave an imprint on the neurotic manifestations of the child.

A feature of preschool age is the close connection of the psyche with the physical state. We could say the same about adults, but in children this connection is even more direct.

Usually, in children of preschool and school age, with neurosis, the function of one or another internal organ is upset, and most often the one that was weakened earlier. So, nervous vomiting, disorder of the digestive organs, loss of appetite come after suffering dysentery or dyspepsia. Those functions that have not yet become stronger are also upset: enuresis (urinary incontinence) or speech disorder appears; usually stuttering or loss of speech (which happens with severe shocks) occurs in children with a delay in the development of speech or with any other defects in it.

Prevention of nervous breakdowns in school-age children

In older preschoolers and younger schoolchildren, other symptoms of nervousness appear, for example: movement disorders are frequent - tics, obsessive movements.

Children's psyche is flexible and viable. Under favorable conditions, children get better.

The victory over the disease is experienced even by the smallest children as a victory - they become more self-confident, more cheerful.

Tantrums in a child

Causes of tantrums in a child

Attracting attention to yourself. Hysteria is the right way to achieve this. Therefore, give your baby as much time as possible. Before the arrival of guests, try to entertain the child with some interesting game for him;
breakdown. A nervous breakdown can occur if a child really wants to do or get something, but he is deprived of it. Or if a child is forced to do what he opposes with all his heart. Therefore, adults need to defend their position on very important issues; on trifles, you can give in to the child. Let the baby put on a T-shirt that he likes, take a toy that he has chosen for a walk;
hunger. Children may get irritated if they are hungry;
fatigue, overexcitement. Don't expect too much from your baby. Let him rest more often during the day - this will help relieve emotional stress.
confusion. Not allowed to do something, but not explained why. Or mom allows, and dad forbids;

What to do if the tantrum began?

Distract the baby. Lead to the window, look out into the street together. Suggest a walk.
If the baby is crying loudly, try to "cry" with him. Gradually reduce the volume of your crying and switch to sniffing. The kid will most likely start copying you. Get drunk and calm down. Cuddle the baby.
If the baby made a roar in a crowded place, sometimes you should not rush to "evacuate". Let the baby let off steam, take his soul, then follow you.
Use distraction toys. Did the child frown and prepare for a tantrum? You can give him a drum or other strong musical instrument in his hands, let him break evil. And you can show some interesting little thing - to divert attention.

Prevention of nervous breakdowns and neuroses in children

Mechanisms of nervous breakdowns in children

The state of the whole organism also affects the work of the cerebral cortex. Against the background of certain constitutional features of the organism, certain forms of neurotic reactions often develop. General diseases (infectious, endocrine, hematogenous, etc.), weakening the body as a whole and the nervous system inextricably linked with it, make it more vulnerable and increase the likelihood of neurosis in case of certain “psychological” hazards, which are the main cause neurosis.

I.P. Pavlov and his school found that a nervous breakdown (neurosis) occurs according to one of three physiological mechanisms:

when overloading excitation processes;
when overloading braking processes;
at their "collision", i.e. when excitation and inhibition collide at the same time.

The child does not have enough of his own life experience and judges the danger or safety of what is happening according to the reaction of adults, primarily parents and educators.

Examples:

There are many such examples.

Experience shows that children who developed a neurosis from some kind of “fright” had previously repeatedly experienced incomparably stronger shocks (bruises, burns, animal bites, punishments, etc.), causing them to cry for a short time, since they were not accompanied by appropriate warnings from adults about their danger. Even severe pain will not cause neurosis in either a child or an adult if they know that it is safe (no one becomes neurotic from a toothache), but moderate discomfort can become the basis of a persistent neurosis if the experiencer believes that they are dangerous ( how often a constricting sensation in the region of the heart leads to severe cardioneurosis - an obsessive fear for one's heart.

Warning Signs

the occurrence of hallucinations;

Nervous disorders in children - symptoms, causes, treatment

Children today often develop neurological disorders. Experts note that about half of schoolchildren suffer from emotional instability at certain periods.

Nervous disorders in children - symptoms, causes, treatment
Warning Signs
Forms of nervous disorders in children
What mistakes do parents make?
How to treat nervous disorders in children?
Nervous Disorders in Children: What Parents Should Know
Signs of nervous breakdowns in teenagers
Signs and forms of a nervous breakdown in children
Treatment of children
Signs and causes of a nervous breakdown in adolescents
Adolescent treatment
Nervous breakdown: symptoms and consequences
What is a nervous breakdown?
Causes
In women during pregnancy
In children
Teenagers
Signs of a nervous breakdown
Symptoms of a nervous breakdown
Stages of development
Possible consequences of a nervous breakdown
What is the danger of the disease
How to alert the condition
What to do with a nervous breakdown
Treatment at home
Medications - sedative injections, tablets
Treatment with folk remedies
Which doctor to contact
Prevention of nervous disorders
Nervous breakdown in a child
Signs of the development of neurosis in a child are:
NERVOUS BREAKDOWNS IN CHILDREN
How does a nervous breakdown develop?
Causes of nervous breakdowns
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Sometimes such deviations are temporary, but in some cases they lead to nervous disorders in children, for the treatment of which the help of a neurologist is needed.

Warning Signs

clear advance of peers in mental development;
loss of interest in life in a child, because of which he stops taking care of himself;
excessive interest in a certain subject at school;
the occurrence of hallucinations;
the child often lies or constantly fantasizes in earnest.

These are the main symptoms of a nervous breakdown in a child in the initial stages, in which the disorder can be prevented.

Forms of nervous disorders in children

Nervous allergy, in which it is very difficult to physically identify any allergen. It is also called idiopathic allergy.

Disorders and nervous breakdowns in a 5-year-old child have different symptoms and treatment, but usually they are associated with improper upbringing. Parents sometimes use punishment systems or provide total control, and in some families there is a difficult situation with constant scandals - all these factors significantly aggravate the state of the child's nervous system.

What mistakes do parents make?

Loving parents are often to blame for the occurrence of neurosis in a child. To avoid the treatment of nervous disorders in children, parents should try not to make common mistakes:

you can not overload the child, sending him to two schools, circles, etc .;
you can’t let the child understand that the location of the parents needs to be earned (feel free to show your love);
parents note personal shortcomings in babies and try to eradicate them - this is also a mistake;
the child should not see scandals in the family;
if the mother of the child does not work, she should not surround the baby with excessive guardianship.

How to treat nervous disorders in children?

Therapy using pharmacological agents is used as an additional method. Medications without psychotherapy can only suppress the symptoms of a nervous breakdown in a child, but it is necessary first of all to eliminate the causes that cause a nervous breakdown in a child.

Source: Disorders in Children: What Parents Should Know

Symptoms of a nervous breakdown in a child

Panic attacks, fears and severe anxiety, excruciating headaches, insomnia, psychosomatic manifestations (ulcers, blood pressure disorders, bronchial asthma, neurodermatitis) can occur.

Causes of nervous breakdown in children

Mental disorders often have a genetic, organic basis, but this is not a sentence. With the help of upbringing in a favorable environment, their manifestations can be avoided or significantly reduced.

Nervous disorders in children: treatment

Not all difficulties require the intervention of doctors. Sometimes a child reacts painfully to sudden changes in the family: divorce of parents, conflicts between them, the birth of a brother or sister, the death of one of the close relatives, the appearance of new partners in parents, moving, starting to attend a kindergarten or school. Often the source of problems is the system of relations that has developed in the family and between mother and father, the style of education.

Preserving the Mental Health of Children: Essential Skills

empathy - the ability to read and understand the feelings, emotions and state of another person without merging with him, imagining two as a single whole;
the ability to express in words their feelings, needs, desires;
the ability to hear and understand another, to conduct a dialogue;
the ability to establish and maintain the psychological boundaries of the individual;
the tendency to see the source of control of one's life in oneself without falling into guilt or omnipotence.

Read literature, attend lectures and seminars on parenting, engage in your own development as a person. Apply this knowledge in communication with the child. Feel free to ask for help and advice.

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Source: nervous breakdowns in adolescents

Signs and forms of a nervous breakdown in children

The main warning signs include the following:

The occurrence of hallucinations;
Leading the mental development of their peers;
The child, in all seriousness, begins to fantasize or deceive;
Loss of interest in life
Strong interest in one subject at school (excessive hobby).

These symptoms appear only at the initial stage of a nervous breakdown, and in order to prevent their development, contact a neurologist in time.

How do neurological disorders manifest in children?

Nervous tic. Very often, nervous disorders in children manifest themselves in this form, which is expressed in unconscious twitching of the limbs, cheeks, shrugging the shoulders, unreasonable movement of the hand, smacking, and so on. If you notice a nervous tic in a child when he is in a calm state, this is the first sign of a nervous breakdown. With active activity, the tick disappears.
Poor sleep or insomnia. If your child previously slept well, but suddenly begins to toss and turn often, sleep restlessly and wakes up very often, you should also pay attention to this symptom. In this form of the disorder, children also talk during sleep, and it becomes very realistic.
Neurosis. This is the most serious form of manifestation of the disease and parents should pay special attention to the following symptoms: sadness, hysteria, phobias, frequent fears, obsessive movements, quiet speech, depression, panic fear. As soon as you notice these symptoms, contact a specialist immediately.
Stuttering. This form of the disorder occurs in children around the age of three. During this period, the baby learns to talk. It is very important not to overload the child, because due to the information load, he may experience stress. Ultimately, what matters is a healthy child, not a potential child prodigy. Stuttering also manifests itself when separated from loved ones.
Enuresis. When a child experiences a strong shock, overexcitation, he urinates in the bed. During this period, there is an unstable mood, numerous whims and increased tearfulness.
Anorexia. This form of nervous breakdown is expressed in loss of appetite. If a child was forced to eat in childhood, then in adolescence this, as a rule, “poured out” in the pursuit of a slender figure. It is best to treat anorexia at an early age, as teenagers show more independence and rely on their inexperience.

To note the shortcomings of the child, constantly pointing out their weakness, as if trying to eradicate them. In this case, it is better to concentrate on the wealth that needs to be acquired;
Send the child to two schools, circles and other sections that he does not like, creating an overload;
Overprotection of a child;
Scandals in the family;
To show that the child must win favor with his parents, deserve it. Try to show your love.

Treatment of children

As for the use of medications, they are used as an addition and only in advanced cases. Drugs, of course, can ease anxiety and cure a breakdown for a while, but if the cause is not removed, which is decided exclusively with a psychotherapist, the disease will return again and, perhaps, with greater force.

What should parents do when their child has a nervous breakdown?

As a rule, children accumulate tension in kindergarten or at home, which sooner or later breaks out. If you feel like your child is on the verge of a tantrum, try the following:

When the baby is already on the edge and ready to throw a tantrum, smile at him, kiss him and tell a joke.
Try to switch the attention of the child. This must be done abruptly in order to cause surprise. One way is to fake a tantrum by making a preventive move. In some cases, this causes surprise and reassurance.

What to do if your child has already had a nervous breakdown:

Put your child in a cool shower. If he is not able to do it on his own, take it and carry it to the bath. In extreme cases, splash cold water on your face or put ice on your forehead, a bag of frozen vegetables, a towel soaked in cold water. As you know, cold water slows down reactions in the body, negative energy is washed away, emotions recede;
Use the mirror technique. The bottom line is to repeat all the actions that the baby does. At a young age, this causes great surprise and reassurance, hysteria is replaced by curiosity;
If an attack occurs, remove all dangerous objects away, as the child does not understand what he is doing and does not control himself. He can easily pick up an object and throw it wherever he wants;
Create an environment of privacy. Some calm down when they are left alone, but you still need to watch the baby discreetly.

What actions should be taken after a tantrum happened:

Prepare hot tea and add a couple of drops of motherwort to it. This will calm the nervous system, the brain will come into balance, and the child will fall asleep;
Often brew herbal teas with St. John's wort, mint, motherwort, fennel, lavender. This is especially true if the child often cries and breaks down.

Do not forget about other preventive measures, in particular, B vitamins can remove negative emotional reactions and reduce the amount of stress. Biscuits, cheese, egg yolk, beets, tomatoes, pears, spinach, cauliflower, carrots and other dairy products are very useful for the nervous system. Recently, it has been shown that folic acid helps to reduce the amount of the amino acid homocysteine, which has an increased level in children prone to tantrums and a nervous breakdown.

Signs and causes of a nervous breakdown in adolescents

Probably, every person with age looks with apprehension at the younger generation, comparing his youth with the modern generation. In any case, it can be noted that teenagers behave extremely provocatively, noisily, aggressively and obscenely. At home, of course, almost everyone follows the rules of decency, but at school or on the street, most often behavior changes greatly. As a result, individuals who are very gullible, subject to strong emotions and unable to protect themselves, receive psychological trauma, and they hit a person an order of magnitude stronger than physical ones.

What causes the development of a nervous breakdown?

Unfavorable group among acquaintances or at school;

Inability to stand up for yourself and defend your point of view;

Unfavorable climate within the family;

Lack of a favorite activity;

Frequent stress and emotional tension.

Signs of a nervous breakdown:

The teenager begins to withdraw into himself, avoids all contact with friends, blames others;
Shows excessive activity. However, this is much less common, since an outburst of emotions, even in the most primitive and ugly form, helps a person get rid of negativity;
During relaxation, the limbs of the body begin to twitch;
Poor sleep and insomnia;
Constant dialogues and disputes within the personality;
Depression and apathy towards the outside world.

Adolescent treatment

Like any treatment for a nervous breakdown, adolescents need to follow certain rules:

Avoid conflict communication, surround yourself with a favorable society;
Drink herbal teas with soothing herbs more often;
Engage in light sports;
Listen to relaxing music;
If you want to do yoga, meditation;
Be sure to contact a psychotherapist who will help solve pressing problems and identify the cause of a nervous breakdown.

Success in treatment

My daughter constantly lies, what kind of fictional friends she has, she thought that it was just a childish fantasy, but as it turned out, she needed to contact a specialist.

In teenagers, unfortunately, it becomes a frequent disease. School, street, computer games - all this affects the nerves.

I agree, the explosive atmosphere in the family, the dislike of the child lead to breakdowns. It is not always possible to solve a family situation on your own. You can also turn to psychologists.

Probably, we need to watch the children more, constantly be interested in what is happening around them, ask what worries them.

I think if you pay more attention to the child, talk to him more, it will be easier to understand him and the difficulties he has to face. Many parents have forgotten that they were also teenagers!

The teenage period is not easy, there is no need to wither over the child as over gold. During this period, you need to be friends with him and watch him, be interested in hobbies.

Now teenagers are highly susceptible to external factors, because before there was no Internet, computer games, social networks and other things. In addition, they always had something to do in the same circles, but now everything is completely different.

Adolescence is quite difficult, just remember yourself. I was unbearable and what was missing for me? A little more freedom and understanding on the part of parents.