Month: April 2023

Although many adolescents have good mental health, it is estimated that 49.5% of them have experienced mental health problems at some point in their lives. The good news is that encouraging strong mental health can help to avoid some issues. Early intervention through therapy can help with mental health disorders in adolescence and ease the burden they have on their lives. In this article, we’ll cover some of the most common mental health issues they may go through. 

Is Poor Mental Health Common in Adolescence?

Adolescents commonly go through a wide variety of emotions as part of the normal developmental process. Teenagers may experience anxiety over their schoolwork and friendships, as well as depression following the loss of a close friend or family member. However, persistent symptoms that have an impact on a young person’s feelings, thoughts, and behavior are a hallmark of serious mental health issues.

Signs of Mental Health Disorder in Adolescence

In addition to interfering with daily routines and day-to-day functioning, mental health illnesses can also affect relationships, academic performance, sleep, and eating habits in adolescents. 

Here are some common signs that an adolescent may be suffering from a mental health disorder:

• losing interest in hobbies they once loved
• having little energy
• having issues eating or sleeping
• Spending more time alone and avoiding social events
• Excessive diet, exercise, or binge-eating
• Inflicting harm on themself (e.g., burning or cutting their skin)
• Taking drugs, alcohol, or other substances.
• Engaging in risky or destructive behavior
• Having suicidal thoughts
• Believing their minds are being controlled, are out of control, or perceiving

Adolescents frequently suffer from anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and eating disorders. Here’s a brief overview of each condition.

Anxiety 

• characterized by intense trepidation, anxiety, and fear
• Examples include phobias, social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
• roughly 32% of 13 to 18-year-olds experience this condition.

In 2016, around 11% of teenagers aged 12 to 17 and 7% of kids aged 6 to 11 had a current diagnosis of an anxiety disorder.

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the proportion of youth experiencing clinically elevated anxiety symptoms—about 1 in 5—nearly doubled globally, highlighting the need for mental health support and services for adolescents.

Depression

• Desolate state of mind that interferes with their thoughts, feelings, and daily tasks such as sleeping, eating, and working
• Approximately 13% of 12- to 17-year-olds experience this condition.
• Major depressive disorder and seasonal affective disorder are two examples

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive process that utilizes magnetic fields to provide stimulation to nerve cells within the brain. It currently supports the improvement of depressive symptoms in adults, and may be approved for adolescents to undergo in the future. 

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

• characterized by persistent inattentiveness and/or impulsivity that interferes with day-to-day activities or growth
• roughly 9% of 13 to 18-year-olds have this condition

Eating Disorders

• characterized by extreme and unusual eating habits, such as overeating or restricting one’s food intake
• occurs in around 3% of 13 to 18 year olds.
• Examples include binge eating disorder, bulimia, and anorexia nervosa.

Seek Help

Getting a neurological assessment is the first step to recovering from a mental health disorder. Consult your healthcare provider or a mental health expert if you notice any warning signs in yourself or an adolescent you know and feel the need to get help. In life-threatening situations, be sure to call 911 or head to the emergency room of your nearest hospital. 

Parenting is rewarding but challenging. The pain your child is in is among the most difficult things to handle. You probably feel terrified and powerless if you find that your child is depressed. However, there are things you can do to support your child with depression.

1. Understand that Clinical Depression is a Psychological Condition

Your child will benefit in two ways from your internalization of this fact. One, it should prevent you from blaming your child or yourself. Nobody is to blame for this. The second benefit is that you won’t say something silly to your child, such as, “Why don’t you just pull yourself together,” or “Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” if you view depression as a disease rather than a choice they are making.

2. Try Not to Panic

Your child won’t benefit at all from your panicking. More than 80% of the time, clinical depression can be successfully treated. Your child has a very good chance of recovering as long as they have a reliable doctor and understanding parents.

3. Do Your Homework

Try reading up on the signs, causes, and remedies for depression. The more informed you are, particularly regarding available treatments, the more effectively you can speak up for your child both at school and in the healthcare system.

4. Explain to Your Child that Experiencing Depression is Normal

Something that kids believe is that telling their parents about their struggles or perceived flaws will upset them. Create a safe space for your child and tell them that nothing they could possibly say would bother you more than if you were unable to assist them as they were afraid to confide in you.

5. Communicate with Your Child Regularly

This might be a difficult task. Children can be reserved, as any parent who has ever asked their children how school was and received the response “Fine” will attest to. Talking is usually the last thing someone wants to do when they’re depressed. Give your child some low-stress, low-distraction opportunities to chat with you, like going on a stroll or cooking a meal together.

6. Be an Advocate for Your Child in the HealthCare System

Verify if their doctor is informed, compassionate, and a good listener. By seeking psychiatric services on your child’s behalf, you can take control of their care. Make sure your child attends all of their visits and takes their medication as directed. The only thing that will change anything is treatment, whether it be through therapy, medication, or both.

7. The “S” word Need not be Feared

You might be reluctant to inquire about your child’s suicidal thoughts out of concern that you’ll accidentally put that idea in their head. Do not worry. Maybe they are already contemplating suicide, in which case talking about it might be extremely relieving. If they haven’t, discussing it openly will provide them the opportunity to do so if the situation changes.

8. Encourage Your Kid to Socialize

Even if a depressed person tends to avoid social events, encourage them. An individual going through this needs the support system that contact with friends and family can give them.

9. Encourage your Child to Get Help

Your child can overcome the self-destructive and self-hating thought patterns that depression causes by receiving therapy and non-invasive treatments like Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).

10. Be Patient

Change won’t happen overnight, but your child will benefit from your continual attention and support. If you feel like you need help coping with the situation, be sure to seek professional assistance.

Mental health problems in children present a variety of symptoms that parents should always be on the lookout for. If you suspect that your child may be struggling with a mental problem, the best thing you can do is consult a psychiatrist in Brooklyn for professional diagnosis and treatment. As a parent, however, you may be wondering why your child may need a psychiatrist. Here are some of the signs that may make finding psychiatric support for your child critical.

General Anxiety

While it is okay for a child to be anxious at particular moments (such as before they sit for a major exam), chronic anxiety is a negative thing and may require medical intervention. One sign that could indicate your child is suffering from an anxiety disorder is the constant need to seek information on issues that may not directly affect them or that have little to no chance of ever affecting them. Seeking information is a way of coping with anxiety as one seeks to reassure themselves that one can handle whatever they are afraid of. This behavior can affect other aspects of the child’s life such as their education, social life, and so on. If anxiety is affecting the quality of life that your child lives, it might be time to get help from a child psychiatrist.

Changes In Sleep Patterns

Another indicator that your child may need to see a psychiatrist is if you notice changes in their sleep behavior. This could be in two ways. The child may struggle to sleep, which can be an indicator of anxiety, drug use, or a number of other problems that require professional intervention. They may also sleep more than they used to which could also be an indicator of any number of mental or behavioral problems. If you notice changes in your child’s sleep patterns, it is always a good idea to see a child psychiatrist in order to assess what the child may be experiencing and intervene if any psychiatric problems are noticed.

Changes In Social Activities

Just like changes in sleep patterns, unexplained changes in the social dynamic of the child may be an indicator of mental problems and could require professional intervention. A good example is a child who suddenly isolates themselves from friends and siblings without any obvious reason. A child who had few friends may also suddenly become overly social even with peers that he or she would not normally fraternize with. While there are reasonable explanations for these behaviors, it is the sudden, unexplained shift that is often the red flag. In such a case, a child psychiatrist can assess the child and understand what are the issues that are driving this shift in behavior.

Clinginess

If a child who was previously independent becomes suddenly clingy, it could be an indicator that they are struggling with a mental problem. Such behavior could be an indicator of anxiety and a child psychiatrist will help them to get to the root of the problem. Treatment may include building the child’s self-confidence by changing how the child perceives the surrounding environment. 

When you are seeking to help your child overcome mental health problems or developmental issues, you may hear some terms being used interchangeably. These two terms are child psychiatrist and developmental pediatrician. The reality is that these two terms refer to two different kinds of professionals. The only common link between the two is that they both work with your child to ensure that they grow up healthy and achieve the developmental milestones that children are supposed to achieve at different stages of their lives. So what is the difference? Let us look at the roles of a child psychiatrist vs. developmental pediatrician in Brooklyn.

What Is A Child Psychiatrist?

A child psychiatrist is a medical professional whose ultimate focus is the mental health of children. They work with children of all ages, up to the age of 18. For them to achieve their goals, child psychiatrists will often work with the community of people around the child. This includes parents or anyone who is the primary caregiver of the child in question. They also work with teachers, as well as any other significant individuals in the child’s life. They are trained to understand and treat behavioral, biological, social, and even familial issues that may affect the mental health of the child.

Some of the medical conditions that a child psychiatrist can handle in children include depression, autism, anxiety disorders, and eating disorders, among many others. To do this, they typically have to use two or more techniques and approaches to assess and manage the issue at hand. These techniques and approaches include psychiatric assessments, laboratory tests, diagnostic imaging exams, and much more. They also have a license to prescribe medication for their patients to help them cope with the conditions that they may be suffering from.

What Is A Developmental Pediatrician?

Developmental pediatricians are also medical specialists whose focus is to treat any learning or developmental issues that your child may be suffering from. These medical professionals are able to provide help with a wide range of developmental issues, such as learning difficulties (math disorders, dyslexia, and others). They are also able to provide help with attention disorders such as conduct problems, attention deficit or hyperactivity, and much more. 

What Is The Difference?

As you may have noticed from our definition, there is a lot of overlap between the two fields. In the adult world, it is similar to the overlap between adult psychiatry and behavioral neurology. Unlike child psychiatrists, developmental pediatricians seldom prescribe stimulant medications to their patients.  If developmental pediatricians  realize that a medication regime will be required for a particular child, they are likely to refer the child to a child psychiatrist. However, the fact that they focus on developmental issues means that they are well-placed to handle these kinds of issues, both in terms of training and experience. In this sense, if a parent understands what exactly is wrong with the child (such as a learning difficulty), they may seek the help of a developmental pediatrician who specializes in learning difficulties. However, for the assessment and management of conditions that are yet unknown, a child psychiatrist may be a better starting point.

Wonder Years Psychiatric Services offers holistic diagnostic assessment for a wide range of psychiatric conditions. We also can help with second opinions as well as follow-up treatment. Here are some reasons why you should consider Wonder Years psychiatric service to help with any psychiatric treatment approaches that you may need.

Qualified Staff

At Wonder Years Psychiatric Services, we have a broad range of expertise that uniquely qualifies us to handle any range of mental health treatment options. We work in a collaborative approach with teachers, family members, patients, and the community around our patients in order to deliver effective mental health treatment solutions.

Broad Range Of Solutions

One of the great things about working with Wonder Years Psychiatric Services is the fact that your child will get a full range of treatment options under a single roof. These treatment options depend on the unique needs of our patients but the fact that they are delivered under one roof means that your child is likely to get effective treatment. This is because of the trust that our specialists build with our patients and the fact that we seek holistic solutions. Some of the mental health conditions that we are able to help our patients with include depression, ADHD, anxiety or panic attacks, and much more.

Different Approaches to Treatment

At Wonder Years Psychiatric Services, we have innovative approaches when it comes to the delivery of mental health treatment solutions. For example, in Brooklyn, we offer telepsychiatry as an option for patients who may not be able to have face-to-face sessions with our specialists. Even though the initial appointment must always be done in person, telepsychiatry is an option for patients in the area. This helps as it is a lot more flexible, especially for parents with time constraints. When you come for your initial appointment, we always perform a comprehensive assessment which helps our specialists to understand what the needs of the patients are. We recommend that parents or the child’s care provider are also present during this initial assessment. 

We always ask the care providers to come with copies of any previous psychiatric assessments of the child which help us to establish a baseline when it comes to the needs of the child. This way, we are able to understand the patient better and work towards effective solutions.

Affordable Healthcare Services

At Wonder Years Psychiatric Services, we believe in the concept of affordable mental healthcare solutions for all our patients. We work with two of the leading healthcare insurance providers namely Aetna and Cigna when it comes to our founder Dr. Malik. However, our other providers are in-network providers with various other health insurance companies. We are always happy to provide information about the different insurance companies that we work for so you can plan better. You will also be glad to know that we provide all the receipts and paperwork that you will need to file your claim with the insurance company. It also helps to talk to your insurance company at the start so you can also understand the level of coverage that you can expect from them when you approach us for mental health treatment.

When you are looking for the right child psychiatrists in Brooklyn, it is important to ensure that you go through the selection process very carefully. Not only is the choice critical for your child’s mental health but the wrong psychiatrist can actually make the problem worse. There are a number of factors to keep in mind when looking for the best child psychiatrists in Brooklyn. Here is what you need to keep in mind.

The Right Experience

Depending on the medical problem at hand, getting the right psychiatrist for your child should be guided by the level of experience the psychiatrist has. A psychiatrist could have a lot of experience in general but not much in dealing with the problem at hand. More so, you may need to check if the care provider specializes only in child psychiatry or offers a broad range of services to various demographics. This matters because a child psychiatrist is likely to offer more effective solutions to your child as they are specifically trained and experienced in dealing with the unique needs of children and adolescents.

Check References

Beyond the information that your child psychiatrist may put out there, it also helps to check what their previous clients say about them. This is because references come from people who have experienced first-hand what a child psychiatrist has to offer and are able to give you a realistic picture of what you can expect. There are a number of things that come into play when your child is undergoing mental health treatment that may not be initially obvious. For example, how easy is it to get appointments, what kind of involvement can you expect as a parent in the process, and what level of support do you get when filing for insurance claims?

If these issues are not handled well, they may ruin the entire experience and could even affect the quality of treatment that your child receives. Some of these issues can only be explained by people who have gone through the process themselves. You can get references about your proposed child psychiatrist from teachers, parent groups, and even online support communities. 

Ask Questions

One mistake that parents make when choosing a child psychiatrist is not asking enough questions regarding the process. For most parents, especially those dealing with a child psychiatrist for the first time, it might be difficult to know what to expect. Asking questions helps you to set realistic expectations as well as understand your role in the treatment process. When you ask questions, you are also able to assess the level of professionalism of the proposed child psychiatrist which can help you understand their suitability for the process at hand. Asking questions will also help you to learn of any innovative approaches to mental health treatment that may be available. For example, does your child psychiatrist offer telepsychiatry as an option? Such innovative approaches to mental health treatment can help you manage the treatment process better.

Pre-Treatment Assessment

One way to distinguish between top-notch child psychiatrists is to look at their pre-treatment assessment. The more in-depth it is, the more likely that the therapists will understand the underlying problem and work to solve it.

Preteens and adolescents with mental health disorders can get help in a variety of ways. While parents may not know how to deal with such problems, the good news is that depending on the severity of the condition, there are a number of options that doctors can use to treat such disorders. In this article, we look at some approaches that are used for mental health treatment for adolescents.

Acceptance And Commitment Therapy

This is usually abbreviated to ACT and is a tangent of cognitive behavior therapy. The approach is based on mindfulness and seeks to change how your child perceives the outside world. In particular, it aims to train your child to learn how to accept things that are beyond their control and to have a greater sense of control over how they respond to the events happening around them. Part of this is by learning to accept their emotional reactions to events around them, rather than try to stifle or deny them. 

Behavior Therapy

Behavior therapy is a part of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and focuses on behavioral changes that will help your child cope with the circumstances that they are facing. The approach aims to equip your child with healthy coping skills that allow them to deal with any situation without resorting to harmful habits such as drug or alcohol use.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT is based on the principle that the way we think (cognition) plays a large part in how we feel and in turn, this affects how we behave. By changing our cognitive patterns, we are able to change our emotions and our behavior. Unhelpful thinking patterns such as insecurities, fear, or anxiety can have a profound effect on how we behave. When a child is able to link their thinking patterns with their behavior, they are then able to begin to change these harmful patterns. That is because for most children, this thinking-behavior pattern often flies under the radar and they are usually not even conscious of it. When it is brought to the fore by skilled mental health experts, your child is able to begin to break these patterns and live a significantly healthier life.

Counseling

This is a one-on-one talking therapy where a trained counselor or therapist is able to help your child work through their problems. Counseling offers your child a safe, non-judgmental space where they can open up and discuss their fears and any other issue that may be affecting them. The counselor typically controls the direction of the conversion, ensuring that the child can open up and talk through their problems. When we express ourselves, we are typically able to look at things objectively and solutions that were not apparent to us can become evident after such a session. The counselor is also able to use their skills to help the child explore areas of their thoughts and feelings that may give your child helpful insights as to their emotions and behavior.