How To Tell The Difference Between Misbehavior And A Psychological Disorder

How do you know if a child is playing up or actually has a psychological issue? The signs to diagnose can be quite difficult but in the video below, Psychologist Audrey Tang runs through the signs to look out for.

Tang starts off by saying that there’s a very thin line when distinguishing between the two. Something that may seem small may actually be something that’s masking something bigger and vise versa.

She urges parents to get an official diagnosis whereby the ICD-10 or DSM-5 classification is used by your child’s GP or specialist. These classifications are basically a list and frequency of symptoms of mental disorders which will enable Doctors to make a proper diagnosis.

Only once a diagnosis is made, proper treatment can begin.

In terms of the warning signs of psychological disorder, Tang says that it is difficult to say as only patterns of behavior can be taken into account when a diagnosis is made. She suggests that parents speak to teachers, friends or family members and see if they have observed similar behaviors in your child as you have, just to clarify your concerns.

Do children’s psychological issues affect their parents mentally?

Being a parent is hard enough without having to deal with a child with a psychological disorder. A diagnosis can certainly affect parents mentally as parents do not expect to have children with mental issues. Parent of children with ADHD and Autism disorders often don’t cope as they continue to compare their kids to other children.

Tang advises parents of children with psychological disorders to make time for themselves and to look after their own mental health and to not be afraid to talk about how they are feeling.

They should also look out for their own patterns of behavior which may signal that they are struggling, like sleep problems or irritability.

Her advice to these parents is to build up a support network, perhaps even consisting of other parents going through similar issues, to help get them through their struggles.

Via YouTube