What can parents do to maintain their children's mental health - Pay attention to the mental health of teenagers

1. Some of the reasons why children develop mental problems

Physical factors: including genetic factors, hygiene during pregnancy and physical illness.

Children are influenced by their parents' genetic makeup, which may lead to abnormalities in their physical and mental development. For example, schizophrenia and ADHD are often closely related to genetic factors.

At the same time, the hygiene during the mother's pregnancy (e.g., nutrition during pregnancy, emotional state during pregnancy, medication during pregnancy, delivery process, etc.) will have a significant impact on the brain development of the fetus, which in turn will affect the child's physical and mental development.

When a child is physically ill or suffers a trauma, it will also have a negative impact on their mental health.

Social environmental factors: including family environment and school education

The influence that young children and children receive in the family is difficult to eliminate throughout their lives.

Family environment, parent-child relationships, and parenting styles are all important factors that affect children's mental health.

The teaching atmosphere, teaching methods, teacher-student relationships, and peer group relationships in school all affect children's physical and mental development.

2. What impact do mental health problems

have on the growth and development of children and adolescents?

If mental health problems in children are not promptly adjusted and controlled, many mental and psychological disorders in childhood can affect them for life.

First, it affects children's learning and social functions. Children's academic performance may be affected, and they may even become unmotivated and refuse to go to school.

Second, if mental health problems are not diagnosed and treated promptly, they may affect the rest of their lives, which means that the trajectory of development throughout the life cycle is affected.

Some childhood problems can also develop into adulthood, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. These problems can also lead to more serious problems in adulthood, so this is a major problem that affects the rest of their lives, and early intervention is very important.

3.How can parents identify

whether their children have mental health problems?

Physical changes

You may notice that your child no longer wants to eat, overeats, vomits after eating, has insomnia and wakes up early, or has endocrine disorders.

Emotional changes

You may notice that your child has become more sensitive and less outgoing.

Behavioral changes

You may notice that your child's behavior is significantly different from before.

Academic changes

You notice that your child is unable to concentrate in class and cannot listen.

Changes in relationships

You notice that your child has no friends or that there has been a significant change in your child's relationships with classmates. Generally speaking, if your child has emotional problems for more than two weeks, parents should seriously consider the possibility that their child has psychological problems.

4.Caring for your child's mental health

What can parents do

Understand your child's perception of themselves

You can ask your child to draw a picture of themselves, and then ask them what they think their strengths and weaknesses are. See if they mention more strengths or weaknesses. If your child mentions more weaknesses than strengths, it means that their self-perception is more negative. Parents should encourage and praise their children more often in their daily interactions, and give them positive feedback.

Understanding the child's concept of “family”

can help you get the child to draw a picture to represent the family and let the child use a small animal to represent the family members. For example, if the child uses a lion to represent the father, you can ask, “What kind of lion is this?” If the child says, “This is a fierce lion that eats other animals,” we can understand that the father is a very scary figure in his heart and makes him feel very afraid.

Understanding the child's “support system”

can help the child play the paper-cutting game “Support Squad,” which involves cutting out several little people holding hands. Ask the child who can support and comfort you when you encounter difficulties. This will give you an idea of the child's interpersonal relationships at school, whether they have any friends, and how their relationships with friends are.

Understand the “emotions” in your child's heart.

You can use the game of drawing emotional facial expressions to understand your child's emotions. Ask your child to draw the facial expression of their emotions for today, so that you can know your child's emotional state at school today, what happy things they have, and what unhappy or angry things they have. After your child has finished drawing, talk to them to help them express and recognize their emotions.

Understand the “parent-child relationship.”

Parents can play the game of building a house with their children. During the game, they can feel whether they are sensitive enough to their children's needs, whether they can support and follow their children, whether they are more likely to direct their children or give them more independence, whether the challenges they set for their children are ones that they can complete or ones that are too difficult and will frustrate them, and whether the rules they set are rigid or flexible.

Special reminder:

Help is needed in the following situations

· The child's behavior is significantly different from other children of the same age.

· The child is aggressive towards parents or others

· The child is unsociable and has no friends

· The child has experienced trauma such as loss of family love or bullying at school

· Parents feel stressed about the parent-child relationship and need support and help Parents should always pay attention to their children's psychological state and safeguard their mental health!