When should you contact a psychologist? Red flags in your child’s behaviour
Differentiating between normal and abnormal behaviours can be one of the trickiest parts of parenting. When we say abnormal in psychology, we mean a behaviour which is out of the “ordinary healthy standard”. It is not a term to encourage segregation between people. Abnormal behaviour is a term to distinguish between behaviours that might indicate disorders, or other problems which reduce the general wellbeing of an individual.
As a parent it can be even harder to specify what’s a normal behaviour or when you might need to seek professional help from a child psychologist. Given that we are often driven by biases we are unaware of, and often try to alter reality to decrease our stress, we might find ourselves ignoring some obvious signs of problematic behaviour in our children.
As a side note here, we’ve observed that in Cyprus, and other parts of the world there is some stigma behind seeking help from psychologists. Instead, I encourage you to think of this: “You would go to the doctor if you felt that something was wrong in your body. So, what’s the shame behind going to a psychologist when you feel something’s wrong with your emotional wellbeing or mental health?”
Since we’ve established this part of the conversation, let's now talk about red flags in behaviour.
Some of the most common disorders in children range from anxiety disorders to ADHD and Autism, PTSD, eating disorders, depression and other mood disorders. It is important that as a parent you are aware of some of the red flags related to these, or red flags that generally relate to mental health issues.
Some of the signs you should look out for include:
Impulsive behaviour that is potentially harmful, including self-harm, and substance abuse
Sadness over long periods of time that affect a person’s overall functioning
Impulsiveness and outbursts of anger or irritability
Excessive and persistent worrying and fear expressed over various topics
Extreme changes in eating habits
Having difficulty sleeping
No excitement for activities that used to be enjoyable
Avoiding social situations
Mood changes and extreme behavioural changes
Hard time concentrating in school/other activities