A Beautiful Mind, LLC Family Therapeutic Services

Mental health is how people think, feel, and act. It affects how people handle stress, relate to each other, and make decisions. Mental health also affects how people look at themselves, their lives, and others in their lives.

Like adults, children and teens can have mental health disorders that interfere with the way they think, feel, and act. Without treatment, mental health disorders may lead to school failure, family conflicts, drug abuse, violence, and even suicide. Untreated mental health disorders can be very costly to families, communities, and the health care system.

There are many ways of treating mental health disorders. Medication may reduce your child’s symptoms and may be helpful, but it might not address his other needs. A child with poor mental health often deals with low self-esteem, trouble making friends, and tense family relationships. The best and most complete treatment for most mental health disorders is a blend of methods—psychiatric and behavior therapy, a lot of support, and medication if a doctor decides your child needs it.

Family conflict

Family problems represent a unique, but common, category of adjustment difficulty that causes people to seek counseling services. Problems can develop in a couple relationship because of a medical or psychological problem in either person, or in one of their children. Parent-child problems can also create distress within a family. Poor communication and discipline problems are very common. Sometimes there are constant battles between siblings, and the parents cannot seem to resolve the conflicts. Divorce, and the creation of step-families, can create difficulties in a family, sometimes for all members of the family. Sometimes the couple relationship itself is the problem, with poor communication, constant conflict, lack of closeness, sexual problems, or in-law problems all to be considered possible concerns. 

Symptoms of Mental Illness in Children?

• Abuse of drugs and/or alcohol

• Inability to cope with daily problems and activities

• Changes in sleeping and/or eating habits

• Excessive complaints of physical ailments

• Defying authority, skipping school, stealing, or damaging property

• Long-lasting negative moods, often accompanied by poor appetite and thoughts of death

• Frequent outbursts of anger

• Changes in school performance, such as poor grades despite good efforts

• Loss of interest in friends and activities they usually enjoy

• Significant increase in time spent alone

• Excessive worrying or anxiety

• Hyperactivity

• Persistent nightmares or night terrors

• Persistent disobedience or aggressive behavior

• Frequent temper tantrums

• Hearing voices or seeing things that are not there (hallucinations)