Emotions can play a vital role in how we think and behave. It influences our relationships and even our physical health. Our emotions may be based on external situations or on deep-rooted feelings. Mental health encompasses our psychological, emotional and social well-being. It impacts how we feel, think, act, make choices, relate to others and handle stress.

Mental health is essential at every stage of life, starting from childhood. If your child has difficulty handling emotions or you suspect serious mental health issues, it’s best to visit a child psychologist.

Narayana Health’s paediatric psychiatry team gives your child specialised and compassionate care. Our team of child psychiatry experts have experience diagnosing and treating various behavioural disorders. You and your little one can ask questions and share experiences in a safe and friendly environment.

Warning Signs and Symptoms of Mental Health Conditions in Young Children

If your child has behavioural issues lasting for weeks to months that affect daily life, it’s important to seek help from a child psychiatry expert.

The following are some warning signs of mental health in young kids:

Often seem worried or fearful
Highly irritated mostly or show tantrums frequently
Complain often about headaches or stomach aches without any known medical reason
Keep moving and can’t sit quietly (besides when playing video games or watching videos)
Have nightmares often, sleep too little or too much or appear sleepy during the day
Struggle to make friends or don’t find interest in playing with other kids
Not going to school or doing poorly in academics
Checks things several times (for instance, repeatedly checks whether the door is locked) due to fear of something scary to happen
Sadness that lasts 2 or more weeks
Social changes or isolating oneself from others
Being very moody or having outbursts
Harmful out-of-control behaviour
Major behavioural or personality changes
Weight loss
Changes in eating habits
Trouble sleeping
Trouble concentrating
Getting stomach aches or headaches often

If your child shows these symptoms, consider visiting our paediatric psychiatry department.

Warning Signs and Symptoms of Mental Health Conditions in Adolescents

Here are the common warning signs of adolescent mental health that need psychiatric attention:

Low energy
Loss of interest in things they enjoyed earlier
Look sleepy throughout the day or sleep too little or too much
Sleep much less than usual and have periods of high energy and activity
Avoid social activities with family or friends and spend time increasingly alone
Afraid to gain weight and exercise or diet rigorously
Resort to self-harm behaviours (such as burning or injuring their skin)
Drink alcohol, smoke or take drugs
Engage in destructive or dangerous behaviour alone or with friends
Have suicidal thoughts
Say that they can hear things that others can’t and think that somebody is controlling their mind
Notable changes in eating habits and other daily activities
Running worries or thoughts that don’t leave them
Hesitating to talk about their worries even after you have made it safe to openly discuss difficult issues
Obsessing over a specific goal while believing that their life will not remain the same if they don’t attain that goal
Sexual interests or activities that appear more intense than earlier or new
A completely new group of friends whom you have never met

Common Mental Health Conditions Among Young Children 

Here are some mental health conditions for which parents of young children visit our paediatric psychiatry doctors:

Anxiety Disorders

If a child fails to outgrow the worries and fears that young children usually have or if these fears intervene with play activities or life at home or school, the child might be having anxiety disorders. One of the anxiety disorders is separation anxiety disorder (SAD). A young child with SAD struggles or worries about being apart from family and other close people. They fear that their family might meet with something bad if they are not around or are afraid to be lost from their family.

ADHD

Young children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) struggle to focus and have self-control. Signs of ADHD differ among children but mostly fall under the following cases:

Inattention: A child may get easily distracted or have difficulty paying attention. 
Impulsivity: A child acts without a thought, for instance, interrupts others. 
Hyperactivity: A child talks too much or is overactive or constantly moving.

If not addressed at a young age, the condition can lead to ADHD in adolescents.

Depression

Depression in kids is a mood problem that can make them feel hopeless, irritable or sad. If your child is depressed, their sadness persists for over 2 weeks. Their relationship with others, appetite and sleep can also be affected. This condition can also prevent children from enjoying school or hobbies and sports they used to enjoy before. In extreme cases, suicidal thoughts occur, especially in adolescent depression. But like other mental health conditions, depression can also be addressed with psychiatric care.

Autism

It is a brain development condition that affects how a child perceives other people and socialises with them. This leads to problems in communication and social interaction. Autism can also include certain repetitive behavioural patterns.

Common Mental Health Conditions Among Adolescents

Here are some common adolescent mental health conditions that call for psychiatric care for teens:

Eating disorders

They involve an unhealthy relationship with food and majorly interfere with daily activities. A few instances of eating disorders are avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, binge eating, bulimia nervosa, atypical anorexia nervosa, and anorexia nervosa.

Addiction

Addiction refers to a chronic, relapsing condition marked by the compulsive use of drugs despite knowing about harmful outcomes. It results in long-term changes in the adolescent’s brain. Addiction can impact the quality of life in the present and future and must be addressed immediately.

Bipolar Disorder

It involves alternating periods of normal mood, depression and mania, with each lasting for weeks or months at a stretch. This disorder often starts during mid-adolescence and lasts through the mid-20s.

Schizophrenia

It is characterised by interpreting reality abnormally. This condition affects emotions, behaviour or thinking (cognitive) in various ways. Schizophrenia may lead to some combination of delusions, hallucinations and highly disordered behaviour and thinking that adversely impact one’s ability to function.

Key Responsibilities of Our Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Department

Our team has highly qualified and trained experts, who have vast experience in behavioural disorders among children and adolescents. The Child & Adolescent Psychiatry department is responsible for:

Conducting comprehensive psychiatric evaluations to assess mental health concerns and develop treatment plans.
Providing psychotherapy (talk therapy) to help children and adolescents manage their emotions, behaviours, and relationships.
Prescribing and monitoring medications to treat psychiatric disorders, when necessary.
Collaborating with other healthcare providers, schools, and community agencies to coordinate care and support for young patients.
Educating patients, families, and the community about mental health issues and promoting mental health awareness and wellness.

Narayana Health offers a welcoming and supportive environment for children. The center is staffed by highly qualified and experienced child psychologists who create a safe space for children to share their mental health concerns without fear of judgment. These professionals carefully assess each child's needs and develop tailored treatment approaches to improve their well-being and happiness, ensuring a brighter and healthier future for every child.