Neurosis in a child 5 years old symptoms. Types and modern methods of treating neuroses in children

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In a new article psychologist Elena Lagunova tells how to help a child cope with neurosis.

The most difficult thing for a parent is to notice what experiences are transmitted to the child and overwhelm him.

How to behave to parents

Treatment of neuroses in children is not an easy and time-consuming business. You will have to work not only with the child, but also with the whole family.

1 Parents should look for the source of negativity in themselves. You need to try to find the true reason why this or that behavior is so infuriating: the fear of the dark or the desire to eat deliciously. If the adult himself is full of unfulfilled fears and desires, why should the child be calm? Learning to be brave (or, for example, losing weight) must be together.

2 Do not focus on the manifestations of neurosis. It is better to make a remark without words. When the child bites his nails, you can stroke his hand or give him a toy.

3 Notice the slightest improvement in the situation. I haven’t bite my nails for an hour - well done, my hand has not reached the hair for half a day - super! The adult needs to sincerely believe that the child can cope with the difficulties. This confidence will be passed on to the child. You can list the child's successes together, tell how mom (or dad) herself coped with the problem in childhood. This will strengthen self-esteem and the desire to fight neurosis.

4 Contact a specialist if you cannot cope on your own. Treating childhood neuroses is a challenge for an experienced psychologist. In order for the neurosis to pass, it is necessary to find and neutralize the source of negativity that fills the child's accumulator. You can change the negative situation (close the source) or change the child's attitude towards it.

If the child has many bodily, physical symptoms, you must additionally show it to a psychiatrist or psychotherapist.

Treatment of neuroses in children: what can not be done

The fact that a child begins to bite his nails or pull out his hair evokes many different feelings and thoughts in close adults. I will dwell on popular misconceptions.

One cannot expect that "it will pass by itself." Some parents tend to keep quiet about the problem. They hope that the child will grow up and everything will somehow be solved by itself. Yes, many of those who bite their nails or even wet the bed as a child lose the habit of it. But how much suffering the child suffered before he grew up! The ridicule of peers, swearing by adults, the experience of their own worthlessness. All this leaves an indelible mark on the soul, it can interfere with success in life.

You can't blame yourself. Other parents are angry with themselves and feel worthless and worthless. They torment themselves with thoughts: “Why? I'm a good mother, what have I done! " They are embarrassed to contact a specialist, fearing that he will scold them. Because of the strong feelings of the parent, the child's neurosis may intensify even more.

You can't blame the child. It's easy to believe that a toddler is deliberately ripping out hair or wetting his pants to annoy his parents. For "disobedience" and a threat to parental authority, the child is punished harder in order to restore the balance of power. Resentment and fear are added to the neurosis, and the situation worsens.

How to teach your child to deal with negativity

There is stress that cannot be prevented. For example, death or illness of a loved one. The kid is worried, the situation in the family is difficult. There is a lot of negativity in the mental store - one might think that the child is doomed to neurosis. But to continue the metaphor, healthy child in this situation, it can pull out the plug and pour out all unnecessary.

The kid can scream and cry. It can become fussy and uncontrollable for a while, or, on the contrary, subside. It is important for adults not to interfere with his expression of emotions, and then he will cope on his own and will again become calm and cheerful.

Sometimes a child's stress can be relieved - teach the kid to "open the plug" and get rid of unnecessary emotional experiences:

• Draw the mood with paints on a large sheet of paper. You can draw fear or anger, and then burn the drawing.
• Go out into the woods or wasteland and just shout.
• Have a toilet paper day. You can tear it, throw it, roll it out.
• Just look at the fire. Better to make a fire.
• Play with water. Imagine all sorrows going down the drain.
• Run, jump, play outdoor games, walk. Exercise is a great way to calm your nerves.
• Give your child a massage.
• Recharge with positive emotions from viewing family photos and memories of happy moments.
• Make a "magic" medallion that is "charged" with love when the mother hugs the child tightly before leaving him in the garden. In the medallion, he complains if he is scolded.

Psychologists and psychiatrists often face the symptoms of childhood neuroses. Patients of adolescence or preschoolers are most susceptible to the development of this pathology. Neurosis refers to reversible dysfunctions of the nervous system, which are provoked by feelings, stress, fatigue.

Causes of neurosis in children

Allocate the reasons leading to the development of neurosis in childhood... Most often, several factors simultaneously affect at once, including:

1. Postponed hypoxia, which acted on the fetal brain at any of the gestational periods (see). These conditions can occur against the background of severe pathologies of the mother and failure of the placenta.
2. Hypoxia in a newborn, which has been affected for a long time during childbirth.
3. Chronic diseases in children during the first years of life, as well as the presence of reduced immunity.
4. The influence of an unfavorable family environment with frequent quarrels between parents or other family members.
5. The presence of a conflict between the child and other children in the team.

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For the development of neurosis in childhood, it is necessary to influence several factors or predisposing triggers at once, which include:

• type of character with increased emotionality, lability and quick temper (see);
• the presence of fears, a tendency to anxiety, as well as isolation;
• the need for self-affirmation.

Symptoms and treatment of childhood neurosis will depend on the cause that influenced the development of the disease. If possible, it is necessary to completely eliminate its effect on the body.

Types of neuroses

There are several groups of the disease in young patients. They may differ not only in the cause of their occurrence, but also in the tactics of therapy.

1. The neurosis of fears has a paroxysmal manifestation. Experts note the development of certain conditions that act as a provoking factor. Most often, the reason can be acute situations: deliberate fear, the constant presence of phobias in everyday life, for example, darkness. At school age, fear neuroses are associated with the fear of the teacher. The condition is accompanied by a feeling of stiffness, the appearance of tears and whims. For long-term reasons, children may run away from home, commit suicide attempts, and lie regularly.
2. ... Pathology is manifested by the patient's constant desire to make various movements: clapping his hands, tapping his foot, as well as sniffing or blinking. The development of clinical signs appears only after exposure to a provoking factor, for example, a call to the board or the moment of questioning at an exam. Treatment of obsessive-compulsive movement neurosis in children provides for the complete elimination of not only the provoking factor, but also the pathological type of movement.
3. Depressive neurosis. Most typical for adolescents. The child is in a depressed state, facial expressions are significantly depleted, and the reaction to what is happening is not always adequate. The causes of depressive disorder are dissatisfaction with their appearance, communication with people around, problems with parents.
4. Hysterical neurosis. Severe mental disorder with a vivid reaction to what is happening. The child can fall to the floor, cry and simulate seizures.

Symptoms

Clinical signs should be divided into two groups, which include physiological and psychological manifestations. The first group includes:

To the group psychological reasons include:

1. Tantrum with falling to the floor, sobbing and convulsions.
2. Development of irritability.
3. The appearance of a prolonged depression.

You should consult a doctor even at the first signs of the disease. Untimely assistance provided causes a gradual progression of pathology.

Diagnostics and treatment of neuroses in children

Depending on the rate of development of symptoms, as well as violations of the functioning of various organs and systems, the tactics of selecting research is determined. These include:

1. Study of genetic predisposition, heredity of patients with repeated cases of the disease in the family.
2. Determination of the psychological microclimate in the family.
3. A conversation between a doctor and a child to suggest the cause, basic fears and other pathological conditions that can serve as a sign of the disease.

If necessary, additional methods can be used that confirm or, conversely, exclude the presence of neurosis.

Treating neuroses in children can be problematic because of the difficulties in finding the best method. There are several main areas:

• psychological assistance, work with a psychotherapist;
• prescribing medications;
• massage, acupuncture;
• color therapy or aromatherapy.

Treatment of childhood neuroses should be carried out according to an individual scheme, if necessary, it is worth involving in the work with a specialist the patient's close environment from relatives or friends. Medicines are used with extreme caution in the case of severe mental disorders. They are most often prescribed to treat the symptoms of neurosis in adolescents with suicidal tendencies.

Therapy begins with the correction of the family environment. To do this, the psychologist, together with the parents, analyzes the most typical mistakes that patients face. They try to completely eliminate quarrels, increase the time for joint leisure and conversation.

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Treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder in children is carried out with the help of psychotherapy, as well as various kinds of relief from nervous tension. The most effective methods are massage or acupuncture.

At the first signs of the development of neurosis in children or adolescents, it is necessary to seek help from specialists. Only they will help you choose the best method for correcting the condition and eliminating its cause. Untimely assistance leads to severe mental disorders.

Childhood neuroses conceal a great danger, and the main problem lies not in the type of disorder or its manifestations, but in relation to it. So, sometimes parents lose sight of the first symptoms of neurosis, and sometimes they completely ignore them, believing that with age everything will go away by itself. This approach cannot be called correct, it is worth making every effort in order to help the child overcome the problem that has arisen and avoid the accompanying inconveniences in the future. Childhood neurosis is a mental disorder that does not distort the perception of the surrounding world and is reversible (which is very important). Thus, it is possible to get rid of it and it really needs to be done by reacting in time to changes in the behavior of your baby.

Varieties of childhood neuroses

There is a general classification, within which there are thirteen types of neuroses that can manifest in children:

• a neurotic condition formed on the basis of fear. It is one of the most common types in primary school children. This type of neurosis is characterized by the presence of prolonged (sometimes up to half an hour) attacks of fear, especially before going to bed. The manifestations can be very different: and a slight feeling of anxiety, and even hallucinations. What a child fears is often determined by his age. So, in the period before school, the most common fears are the fear of being left alone, of the darkness, of mythical or real animals that were seen in the movie and others. Among elementary school students, there is often a fear of the strictness of teachers, of the school as such, with its clear regime and many requirements;
• neurosis caused by a specific obsessive state. In psychological science, such a phenomenon is described as the presence of certain ritual actions in the behavior, the failure of which leads to an increase in tension, internal discomfort. In children, two main types of such conditions are distinguished - these are obsessive actions and fears, although they can often be of a mixed nature. In preschool age, obsessive actions such as blinking, wrinkling the bridge of the nose or forehead, stamping, patting, etc. are most often encountered. Performing a ritual action allows you to reduce the level of emotional stress through the use of certain physical activity. If we talk about obsessive fears or phobias in another way, then the most often encountered here is the fear of a closed room and sharp objects. Later, fears of death, illness, oral response to an audience, etc, begin to appear;

• neurotic state of the depressive type. This problem occurs already in adulthood - adolescence. A clear change in behavior can be noticed in a child: a bad mood, a sad facial expression, some slowness of movements and gestures, a general decrease in activity and the level of communication. In more serious cases, systematic insomnia, decreased appetite, and even constipation may appear;
• asthenic type (neurasthenia) arises as a reaction to excessive workload with additional tasks and activities, physical and emotional overload. An explicit form of this type of neurosis occurs only at school age;
• hysterical type of neurosis.

Rudimentary motor-type seizures are not uncommon in preschool years. When a child does not get what he wants, is offended or punished, he can show his displeasure in a rather vivid way - falling to the floor, accompanied by spreading his arms and legs, loud crying and screaming, punching, etc.;

• stuttering on nerves. In the overwhelming majority of cases, it occurs at the age of 2 to 5 years during the periods of the initial formation of speech and its further phrasal complication.

Very often in young children, stuttering becomes a response to the fear of separation from parents, which was unexpected for the child. In addition, the factors predisposing to stuttering include pressure on the baby with the desire to accelerate his development (speech, intellectual, etc.), as well as significant information overload.

• hypochondria - a state in which there is a painful concern about one's own state of health, numerous and unfounded suspicions of various diseases. The characteristic age period is adolescence;
• obsessive movements (tics), which have already been discussed earlier - a variety of simple movements and gestures carried out in automatic mode to relieve tension. In children, they are often accompanied by enuresis and stuttering;
• disturbed sleep - are found in young children and adolescents.

The disorder can find its expression in anxiety, problems with deep phases of sleep, nightmares, talking and walking in sleep, frequent awakenings in the middle of the night for no apparent reason.

• decreased appetite on neurotic grounds. Mothers often show undue anxiety about their children, and therefore sometimes try to force feed the baby if he refuses, or give too large portions. Sometimes the cause of neurotic anorexia is fright during the feeding process. The result of such events is the loss of the child's desire to eat, frequent regurgitation, vomiting, and sometimes excessive selectivity.
• involuntary urination (enuresis). Most often, this type of neurotic disorder occurs during a night's sleep;
• if the child has involuntary bowel movements in small quantities and there are no physiological reasons for this, then we can talk about neurotic encopresis. This is quite rare, the pathogenesis is very poorly understood. The age of manifestation of this type of disorder is from 7 to 10 years;
• pathological actions based on habit.

This can also be found quite often in children of all ages - rocking when falling asleep, sucking fingers or hair, and others.

What could be the cause of a child's neurotic disorder?

In most cases, the cause of a neurotic disorder is the child receiving psychological trauma (this can be fright, strong resentment, the result of emotional pressure, etc.). However, it is almost impossible to establish a specific event that caused the development of a neurosis, and therefore a direct connection cannot be established.

Doctor's opinion: the overwhelming majority of cases of neurosis in children is not the result of a specific traumatic event that occurred once, but the result of long deliberation and the inability to accept or understand a particular situation or adapt to changing environmental conditions.

The presence of neurosis in a child - this is a problem that lies not in the state of the baby's body, but in the shortcomings of upbringing. Children are very vulnerable, and therefore any negative event can postpone a serious imprint, the consequences of which may not open immediately, but in the future.

In the question of the reasons for the development of childhood neuroses, the following factors have a great influence:

• gender and age of the child;
• family history, heredity;
• features and traditions of upbringing in the family;
• diseases suffered by the child;
• significant physical and emotional stress;
• lack of sleep.

Who is more prone to problems

Based on a number of studies of neuroses in children, we can talk about a risk group for various factors. So, it is believed that most susceptible to neurotic disorders:

• children aged 2 to 5 and at 7 years old;
• having a pronounced "I-position";
• weakened somatically (children whose body is weakened due to frequent illnesses);
• children who have been in a difficult life situation for a long time.

Symptomatic manifestations of childhood neuroses

What should parents pay attention to? What can signal the development of neurosis in a child? Manifestations can be of a different nature depending on the type of neurotic disorder. It is worth showing concern about the condition of the child if at least one of the following phenomena is present:

• severe attacks of fear;
• stupor and stuttering;
• change in facial expressions and increased tearfulness compared to the usual state;
• decreased appetite;
• irritation;
• decreased sociability, desire for loneliness;
• all kinds of sleep disorders;
• increased fatigue;
• increased sensitivity and suggestibility;
• hysterical seizures;
• headache;
• suspiciousness and indecision;
• enuresis and encopresis.

Manifestations of neuroses in the photo

When to see a doctor and how to treat a child

Any change in behavior for a long time, systematic seizures or actions - all this should alert parents. The reason may be different, but it is very important to play it safe and consult a specialist in time. A timely response will deprive the baby of the unpleasant manifestations of a neurotic disorder and save him from serious problems in the future.

The basis of the treatment of neuroses in children - psychotherapy. Sessions can be conducted in different forms: group psychotherapy, individual, family. The latter is very important - it is during contact with both the child and the parents that the doctor is able to most accurately determine the cause of the problem and comprehensively influence its resolution.

It is worth noting that psychotherapy in the case of childhood neuroses is largely aimed at improving the overall situation in the family and normalizing relations within it. Additional measures - the appointment of medications, the use of reflex and physiotherapy - are not basic, but are only designed to create favorable conditions for psychotherapy.

Within the framework of group psychotherapy, a large number of methods are used to enable the child to cope with neurotic disorders:

• art therapy (most often - drawing, which allows the child to better understand his own feelings and helps the doctor collect information about his personal characteristics and moods);
• play therapy - spontaneous play without a specific scenario, aimed at improvisation of the participants;
• autogenous training (for adolescents);
• fairy tale therapy - inventing characters, plots, acting out fairy tales, creating dolls, etc.;
• suggestive type of psychotherapy or influence of suggestion.

Preventive measures and what not to do with neuroses

If a child has symptoms of neurosis, then increased attention, exaggerated concern can only aggravate the situation - such behavior of parents can consolidate the negative manifestations of the disorder, provoke their use as a means of manipulation. Often this happens precisely with hysterical forms of neurotic disorder.

Do not pamper your baby on the basis that he is sick. The symptoms of food refusal and tics are very firmly entrenched with active attention.

Preventive actions include:

• close observation of the child's behavior, timely response to the displayed deviations;
• creating a favorable psychological and emotional environment in the family;
• explaining to the child the reasons and necessity of the requirements that are presented to him.

Video on how to recognize the first signs of systemic neuroses in children

Hello. My name is Polina. Once I heard the truth that a pediatrician is the chief physician for any family with small children, I realized that I have something to strive for.

For caring parents, the symptoms and origins of neurosis are too contradictory and vague. And they often have little to do with the medical interpretation of this neuralgic disorder. Neuroses in children and adolescents 1-12 years old are often confused with such deviations as:

• infantilism;
• minor cerebral dysfunction;
• paroxysmal brain;
• vegetative dystonia.

It is difficult to blame them for ignorance - the signs are in many ways similar to neurosis:

• aggression;
• excitability;
• poor sleep;
• inattention;
• headaches;
• pallor;
• trembling fingers;
• fatigue.

All these symptoms are temporary and are dictated by the child's unpreparedness for age changes - you just need to consult with a neurologist who will give recommendations and prescribe treatment and psychotherapy. The origin of neurosis always stems from a prolonged stressful situation and has a deeper history that requires the intervention of a specialist.

Events and shocks

Children's psyche is very vulnerable and susceptible - any change in the usual routine of life is reflected even in newborns, with a force corresponding to the dynamics of age. So, for infants from one to three years old, even a short separation from the mother can affect the form of incipient neuroses. Especially if they were inseparable before that day.

Children 3-6 years old can get a pre-neurotic state if their pet is lost, or a favorite toy breaks. The first symptoms are loss, prolonged grief, depression, sleep and appetite disorders. Scandals in the family, incomplete family, dislike of parents also negatively affect the child's psyche, leaving an indelible mark on the child's soul for life.

The dictatorial inclinations of one of the parents also bring neurosis to the baby. Suppression of personality, temperament, instincts and interests is the child's true path to neurosis and psychotherapy sessions.

Child instincts

Neurosis in children and adolescents is a common and dangerous phenomenon. A child grows up to be an insecure person, in his brain with certain diseases, various mental abnormalities, fears, from schizophrenia to paranoia, are quite possible.

The most innocent of this bouquet is the complexes, due to which the inner world of a school-age child is closed to others. Already as an adult, such a person is not able to fully love, communicate and develop personally. Only psychotherapy as a treatment can bring relief.

Neurosis as a consequence arises from the struggle of instincts. Children defend themselves as best they can, in other words, they try not to go crazy. The most common causes of neurosis in a child:

• family conflicts;
• fright, accident, injury;
• pressure of parental care and supervision;
• hereditary predisposition;
• excessive mental stress.

The child's psyche shows the following symptoms:

• decreased appetite;
• decreased performance;
• prostration;
• sweating;
• nervous tic;
• tantrums;
• headaches;
• cold hands and feet.

In addition to symptoms, there are signs in psychotherapy such as stuttering and incontinence. In children under one year old and newborns distinctive features neuroses can become plaintive, woeful crying and sensitive, restless sleep. After 4 years before preschool and school age - hysterical seizures, rolling on the floor, a furious demand for what is desired.

Internal conflicts

Neurosis is actually very easy to earn. It is enough not to understand your own child. That is why usually the origin of such phenomena as neurosis in women is that they also have a sensitive soul. The psyche of children is like plasticine, but it requires a careful attitude.

Due to stresses at work and in everyday life, neurosis in adults leads to depression and neurasthenia, but they can go to a psychoanalyst or just intuitively begin the relaxation period of psychotherapy. Children, however, are in no way able to calm their inner anxiety and experiences. It seems that the parents know what they are pointing out, they know how it will be better, but a school-age teenager, for example, is afraid not to cope with the responsibilities assigned to him.

And here you are, a childhood neurosis requiring treatment. Internal contradictions in personal growth, coupled with improper upbringing and, as a result, increased nervousness. Types of Inappropriate Parenting:

• overprotection;
• authoritarian;
• rejection and dislike;
• indulgence;
• contrast;
• tyranny.

Of course, biological characteristics also play a role in the onset of neuroses in newborns. So, neuropathy can be caused by severe pregnancy, unnatural childbirth, pathology. Children born with difficulties are more prone to breakdowns, and the older, the more noticeable.

In school-age children, the origin of the classic types of neuroses is often associated with excessive stress, a sense of fear, parental pressure, and adaptation at school. Experiences are fraught with stuttering and enuresis, nervous tics. Neuroses in adolescents are conventionally divided into several nervous states:

• hysteria;
• neurasthenia;
• obsessive neurosis.

On closer examination, hysteria is characterized by the following symptoms:

• sensitivity;
• impressionability;
• egocentrism;
• selfishness;
• suggestibility;
• sudden mood swings.

Hysteria, as a form of neurosis, is often inherent in spoiled children 3-6 years old. Parents overestimate the child, depriving him of independence. For preschoolers under 3 years old, symptoms such as affective-respiratory holding of breath are also characteristic. When a child cries, he is so depressed that he lacks air. It looks like an asthma attack.

From 7-11 years of age, seizures turn into a theatrical performance with fainting and suffocation. The worst thing is that the child believes in the truthfulness of his actions, which in the future is fraught with the body's addiction to such insinuations. Psychotherapy and treatment are needed.

Symptoms of neurasthenia:

• irritability;
• weakness;
• fatigue;
• inattention;
• headache in the morning;
• sleep disturbance;
• night fears;
• passivity;
• pallor.

Neurasthenics are very quick-tempered and vulnerable, they see a catch in everything. Distrustful, fearful, mostly melancholic and depressed. At night, they relive the events of the day, often wake up screaming, feeling chills and cold.

Read more about neurasthenia here.

Symptoms and signs of obsessive-compulsive disorder:

• uncertainty;
• indecision;
• suspiciousness;
• fears;
• anxiety.

Children suffering from a form of neurosis - obsessive states, are afraid of germs, communication, darkness, in general, many symbols of various phobias. For a child of preschool and school age, ritual habits are characteristic, such as:

• frequent hand washing;
• bouncing;
• pat.

Moreover, this is done automatically, like conditioned reflexes. A tic may be an indicative symptom. At 4-5 years of age, nervous twitching is temporary, from several weeks to a month. In the future, this symptom goes away, instantly manifesting itself in stressful situations.

Social factors

At an older age, childhood neuroses are more difficult to treat, as they are due to more complex causes. Children 4-12 years old are very worried about:

• divorce of parents;
• transfer to another school;
• unfair punishment;
• first visit to the children's team;
• moving to a new place of residence.

There is also such a concept in psychotherapy as predisposing factors, the origin of which leads to neurosis:

• residual organic pathology;
• unintentional accentuation of character;
• weakness of the body before diseases of a somatic nature;
• negative emotional background of the mother during pregnancy;
• hereditary burden;
• the threat of pregnancy, stress.

Because of them, the child is especially vulnerable, susceptible to neurological diseases. With the timely appeal of parents to psychotherapy, neurosis can be reversed. If you don't notice his presence, you can forget about the child's peace of mind.

The neurosis, as well as the expected event, is facilitated by an intra-family history. So, a completely healthy 10-month-old child with earned neurosis may well be obliged to his parents, who consider it a violation of discipline to take a baby up to a year of life in his arms when he is in dire need of it.

Parents' dissatisfaction with the sex of the newborn gradually forms a nervous personality, the small person is inherent in internal anxiety, which does not leave him for a minute. The same fate awaits the late infants - scientists have proven the connection between childhood neuroses and the late pregnancy of the mother.

Scientific theories

Many psychoanalysts believe that the true cause of childhood neuroses is inappropriate upbringing based on factors such as:

• emotional blackmail;
• traditionalism;
• open threats and promises;
• lack of affection in the family;
• immodesty of parents;
• negative attitude of adults towards the elderly.

The fragile psyche of a preschool child begins to slow down - a neglected neurosis can be reflected in autism.

Types of obsessive fears in children 5-12 years old as a consequence of the form of neurosis:

• agoraphobia;
• claustrophobia;
• acarophobia;
• acromophobia;
• homilophobia;
• ereitophobia;
• dysmorphophobia;
• misophobia.

These mental disorders fear of something strongly interfere with a person's normal life and development. In addition to them, there is a whole host of specific childhood fears, due to which the thoughts of a little person are like driven birds - fear of loneliness, darkness, fire, loss of parents, etc.

It is worth noting the crisis age periods where psychological prevention and treatment is needed:

• at 3-4 years old girls are more likely to suffer from neurosis than boys;
• at the age of 6-7, unusual stressful situations begin for preschoolers;
• at 11-12 years old, a lack of understanding of reality can confuse a child;
• neuroses in adolescents 14-18 years old speaks of the psychological immaturity of the child as a person.

In the latter case, there is a great tendency to depression, phobias. Childhood fears remain clinical picture neurosis is aggravated.

The fears of children in psychotherapy are divided into concepts such as obsessive, delusional and overvalued. Treating fears is largely based on prevention. Obsessive are the beginning of phobias, depending on age, delusional the child himself is not able to explain, and overvalued occupy all the attention of children.

The overvalued fears of children include the manifestation of fear to answer at the blackboard, fear of speaking. By talking with children, understanding them, you can slowly supplant fears.

Treatment

Childhood neuroses have a reversible pathogenesis, but only in the case of professional treatment and prevention. An experienced psychotherapist, after carefully questioning the patient, draws up a history, together with the patient's biological characteristics and, accordingly, age.

An integrated approach to psychotherapy can effectively and safely heal a child from his fears and anxiety. Psychologists are often asked to draw or describe their fears using clever trust techniques. Types of treatment, depending on the complexity of the case:

• homeopathy;
• hypnosis;
• relaxation therapy;
• medicines;
• acupuncture and micro-acupuncture treatment;
• psychotherapeutic treatment;
• unconventional techniques.

Consultation with a neurologist and psychotherapist is mandatory. The most difficult cases of childhood neurosis require drug therapy and constant psychological prevention. Tranquilizers of the benzodiazepine group are prescribed, which reduce anxiety and the risk of seizures, and cause drowsiness.

Side effects of these medications are itching, nausea, and constipation. If psychotherapy continues long time, addiction and decrease in the effectiveness of drugs is possible. The complex of treatment of childhood neurosis also includes:

• psychostimulants;
• antidepressants;
• vitamin and mineral preparations;
• physiotherapy;
• physiotherapy.

As part of psychotherapy, sessions of hypnosis, confidential conversations, and consultations are conducted. If the form of childhood neuroses does not need drug treatment, it is of great importance individual work child psychologist as prevention.

Involvement of parents and loved ones

Treating childhood neurosis is not easy, but it is a mistake to think that this is entirely the work of specialists. The parents of a neurotic, no less than the patient, need consultations and conversations with a psychoanalyst. Only by changing their own attitude to life, to a child, parents can help a preschool child overcome traumatic factors and forget them.

Children's fears will recede if you surround the child with understanding and care, provide the right to choose, freedom of the individual. Together with a psychologist, parents learn to re-perceive reality, to look at the world through the eyes of their child, to understand how difficult it is to try to meet unaffordable requirements.

Only a family, having overestimated life values, can help a child get rid of phobias and fear of being an inferior person. Relationships in society are always difficult, but everyone has the right to their own path and mistakes, and only harmony in the family will help the child to realize his individuality.

Video: how to recognize the first signs of neurosis in a child

Neurosis is a functional reversible disorder of the nervous system (psyche) caused by long-term experiences, accompanied by an unstable mood, increased fatigue, anxiety and autonomic disorders (palpitations, sweating, etc.).

Unfortunately, in our time, children are increasingly suffering from neuroses. Some parents do not pay enough attention to the manifestations of a nervous disorder in a child, considering them to be whims and phenomena that pass with age. But moms and dads are doing the right thing, trying to understand the child's condition and help him.

Types of neuroses in childhood

Fear in a child can be a manifestation of neurosis.

1. Anxiety neurosis (anxiety). It is manifested by the appearance of paroxysmal fear (often at the time of falling asleep), sometimes accompanied by hallucinations. Depending on the age, the content of fear can be different.

In preschool age, there is often a fear of the dark, a fear of being left alone in a room, a character from a fairy tale or a movie being watched. Sometimes the baby is afraid of the appearance of a mythical creature invented by his parents (with an educational purpose): a black magician, an evil fairy, a "woman", etc.

In early school age, fear of a school with a strict teacher, discipline, “bad” grades may arise. In this case, the child may run away from school (sometimes even from home). The disease is manifested by low mood, sometimes - daytime enuresis. Most often, this type of neurosis develops in children who did not attend kindergarten in preschool age.

1. Obsessive-compulsive disorder... It is divided into 2 types: obsessive neurosis (obsessive-compulsive neurosis) and phobic neurosis, but there may be mixed forms with the manifestation of both phobias and obsessions.

The neurosis of obsessive actions is manifested by such involuntary movements that arise in addition to desire, such as sniffing, blinking, flinching, wrinkling the bridge of the nose, stamping feet, patting the table with brushes, coughing or all sorts of tics. Tics (twitching) usually occur with emotional stress.

Phobic neurosis is expressed in an obsessive fear of a closed space, piercing objects, pollution. Older children may have obsessive fears of illness, death, verbal responses at school, etc. Sometimes children have obsessive ideas or thoughts that are contrary to the moral principles and upbringing of the child, which gives him negative experiences and anxiety.

1. Depressive neurosis more typical for adolescence. Its manifestations are depressed mood, tearfulness, and low self-esteem. Poor facial expressions, quiet speech, sad facial expressions, sleep disturbances (insomnia), decreased appetite and decreased activity, the desire to be alone create a more complete picture of the behavior of such a child.

1. Hysterical neurosis more typical for preschool children. Manifestations of this condition are falling to the floor screaming and screaming, banging the head or limbs on the floor or other hard surface.

Less common are affective respiratory seizures (imaginary suffocation) when a child is denied or punished. It is extremely rare that adolescents may experience sensory hysterical disorders: increased or decreased sensitivity of the skin or mucous membranes, and even hysterical blindness.

Children suffering from neurasthenia are whiny and irritable.

1. Asthenic neurosis, or neurasthenia,also more common in school children and adolescents. Excessive loads of the school curriculum and extra classes provoke manifestations of neurasthenia, more often it manifests itself in physically weakened children.

Clinical manifestations are tearfulness, irritability, poor appetite and sleep disturbances, increased fatigue, restlessness.

1. Hypochondriacal neurosis also more common in adolescence. The manifestations of this condition are excessive concern about the state of their health, unreasonable fear of various diseases.

1. Neurotic stuttering more often occurs in boys during the period of speech development: its formation or the formation of phrasal speech (from 2 to 5 years). It is provoked by a strong fear, acute or chronic mental trauma (separation from parents, scandals in the family, etc.). But the reason can also be information overload when parents force the child's intellectual or speech development.

1. Neurotic tics also more common in boys. The cause of the occurrence can be both a mental factor and some diseases: for example, diseases such as chronic blepharitis, conjunctivitis will cause and fix the habit of rubbing the eyes or blinking unreasonably often, and frequent inflammation of the upper respiratory tract will make coughing or “grunting” sounds through the nose habitual ... Such, at first reasonable and expedient, protective actions then become fixed.

These similar actions and movements can be intrusive or simply become habitual, not causing the child to feel tension and stiffness. Most often, neurotic tics occur at the age of 5 to 12 years. Usually, tics in the muscles of the face, shoulder girdle, neck, respiratory tics predominate. They are often combined with enuresis and stuttering.

1. Neurotic sleep disordersmanifest in children with the following symptoms: difficulty falling asleep, anxious, restless sleep with awakenings, night fears and nightmares, sleepwalking, conversation in a dream. Walking and talking in a dream are associated with the nature of dreams. This type of neurosis is more often observed in children in preschool and primary school age. Its reasons are not fully understood.

1. Anorexia,or neurotic disturbance of appetite, more typical for early and preschool age. The immediate cause may be overfeeding, an insistent attempt by the mother to force feed the child, or coincidence with the feeding of some unpleasant event (a sharp shout, a family scandal, fear, etc.).

Neurosis can be manifested by refusal to take any food or selective type of food, slowness during meals, prolonged chewing, regurgitation or profuse vomiting, decreased mood, whims and tearfulness during meals.

1. Neurotic enuresis - unconscious urination (more often at night). Nocturnal urinary incontinence is more common in children with anxious personality traits. Psychotraumatic factors and hereditary predisposition are important. Physical and psychological punishment further aggravates manifestations.

By the beginning of school age, the child is tormented by the feelings of his lack, self-esteem is lowered, the expectation of nighttime urination leads to sleep disturbance. Other neurotic symptoms usually appear: irritability, tearfulness, tics, phobias.

1. Neurotic encopresis - involuntary, without the urge to defecate, excretion of feces (without affecting the intestines and spinal cord). It is observed 10 times less often than enuresis. Boys of primary school age suffer from this type of neurosis more often. The mechanism of development is not fully understood. The reason is often too strict educational measures for the child and family conflicts. Usually combined with tearfulness, irritability, and often with neurotic enuresis.

1. Habitual pathological actions:biting nails, sucking fingers, irritation of the hands of the genitals, pulling out hair and rhythmic swaying of the trunk or parts of the body while falling asleep. It is more often manifested in children under 2 years of age, but it can be fixed and manifest itself at an older age.

With neuroses, the character and behavior of children changes. Most often, parents may notice such changes:

• tearfulness and excessive sensitivity to stressful situations: the child reacts with aggression or despair even to minor traumatic events;
• anxious and suspicious character, slight vulnerability and resentment;
• obsession with a conflict situation;
• decreased memory and attention, intellectual abilities;
• increased intolerance to loud sounds and bright light;
• difficulty falling asleep, shallow, restless sleep and drowsiness in the morning;
• increased sweating, heart palpitations, fluctuations in blood pressure.

How to recognize the first signs of systemic neuroses in children? Parenting. Mom's school

Causes of neuroses in children

The following factors are essential for the onset of neurosis in childhood:

• biological: hereditary predisposition, intrauterine development and the course of pregnancy in the mother, sex of the child, age, previous diseases, constitutional features, mental and physical stress, constant lack of sleep, etc.;
• psychological: traumatic situations in childhood and personality traits of the child;
• social: family relationships, parenting methods.

Mental trauma is of fundamental importance for the development of neurosis. But only in rare cases does the disease develop as a direct reaction to some adverse psychotraumatic fact. The most common cause is a long-term impact of the situation and the child's inability to adapt to it.

Psychotrauma is a sensory reflection in the mind of a child of any events that are meaningful to him, which have a depressing, disturbing, that is, a negative effect on him. Traumatic situations vary from child to child.

Psychotrauma is not always large-scale. The more a child is predisposed to the development of neurosis due to the presence of various factors contributing to this, the less psychotrauma will be sufficient for the appearance of neurosis. In such cases, the most insignificant conflict situation can provoke manifestations of neurosis: a sharp signal from a car, injustice on the part of a teacher, barking of a dog, etc.

The nature of the trauma that can cause neurosis also depends on the age of the children. So, for a baby of 1.5-2 years old, separation from his mother when visiting a nursery and problems with adaptation in a new environment will be quite traumatic. The most vulnerable age is 2, 3, 5, 7 years. The average age of onset of neurotic manifestations is 5 years for boys and 5-6 years for girls.

Psychotrauma received at an early age can be fixed for a long time: a child who was not picked up from kindergarten in time for the only time may be very reluctant to leave the house even in adolescence.

The main cause of childhood neuroses is parenting mistakes, difficult family relationships, and not imperfection or failure of the child's nervous system. Family troubles, divorce of parents, children are going through hard, not being able to resolve the situation.

How are childhood neuroses related to family problems?

Children with a pronounced “I” deserve special attention. Because of their emotional sensitivity, they experience an increased need for love and attention from loved ones, for the emotional coloring of relationships with them. If this need is not met, children develop a fear of loneliness and emotional isolation.

Such children early show self-esteem, independence in actions and actions, expressing their own opinions. They do not tolerate diktat and limitation of their actions, excessive guardianship and control from the first years of life. Parents perceive their protest and opposition to such relationships as stubbornness and try to fight it through punishment and restrictions, which contributes to the development of neurosis.

Weakened, often ill children are at risk of developing neuroses more than others. In this case, it is not only the weakening of their nervous system that matters, but also the problems of raising a frequently ill child.

As a rule, neuroses develop in children who have been in a difficult life situation for a long time (in orphanages, in families of alcoholic parents, etc.)

Treatment and prevention of childhood neuroses

The most successful treatment is when the cause of the neurosis is eliminated. Psychotherapists, namely they are engaged in the treatment of neuroses, own many methods of treatment: hypnosis, homeopathic remedies, treatment with fairy tales, play therapy. In some cases, you have to use medications. An individual approach to treatment is selected for each specific child.

But the main remedy is a favorable family climate without quarrels and conflicts. Laughter, joy, a feeling of happiness will erase the existing stereotypes. Parents should not let the process take its course: maybe it will pass by itself. Neuroses must be treated with love and laughter. The more often the child laughs, the more successful and faster the treatment will be.

The cause of neurosis is in the family. When it comes to raising a child, adult family members should come to a reasonable common opinion. This does not mean that you should indulge all the whims of the child or give him excessive freedom of action. But unrestricted dictatorship and deprivation of all independence, overprotection and pressure by parental authority, control over every step of the child will be wrong. Such upbringing gives rise to isolation and absolute weakness - and this is also a manifestation of neurosis. A middle ground should be found.

Childhood neuroses. Psychologist consultation

Parents' panic about the slightest illness of the child does not lead to anything good. Most likely, he will grow up to be a hypochondriac with constant complaints and a bad temper.

Equally harmful will be both complete indifference, inattention to the child and his problems, and parental cruelty, causing a constant feeling of fear. The manifestation of aggressiveness in such children will not be surprising.

In many families, especially those with an only child, they cultivate his beloved child's exclusivity, predict success and a stellar future. Sometimes such children are doomed to many hours of classes (chosen for them by their parents), without having the opportunity to communicate with peers and have fun. In these conditions, the child often develops a hysterical neurosis.

A psychologist, before prescribing treatment, will definitely try to find out the family circumstances and methods of raising a child. A lot depends not on the effect of the prescribed drugs (if they are needed at all), but on the parents, on their understanding of their mistakes in upbringing and their readiness to correct them.

The child's healing will also be facilitated by adherence to the daily regimen, rational nutrition, physical education, and daily stay in the fresh air.

Methods of treating childhood neuroses with the help of music therapy, treatment with the help of animals (dolphins, horses, fish, etc.) have received deserved recognition.

Resume for parents

If you want your child to grow up calm, cheerful, responsive to any life situation, take care of creating a favorable emotional climate in the family. “The most important thing is the weather in the house”: the words of the popular song point to the way of prevention and treatment of childhood neuroses.

Which doctor to contact

If a child's behavior is disturbed, a child psychologist should be consulted. In some cases, consultation with a psychotherapist or psychiatrist is indicated. A pediatrician, neurologist, speech therapist, physiotherapist, massage therapist, as well as a urologist can participate in the treatment of a child.

NEUROSIS! reasons, errors, differences. Treatment of neurosis. Treatment of symptoms of VSD

Adults quite often treat their health according to the principle “I will not die, it will pass by itself”, postpone visiting a doctor and crush symptoms with pills. But when it comes to children's illness, any parent starts to worry, especially when the diagnosis is not entirely clear. For example - neurosis. What is it and why are these conditions increasingly diagnosed in children?

Indeed, the further, the more neuroses "get younger", and even very young children often complain of their symptoms. And although there are no official statistics on childhood neuroses in our country, according to some data, by the fifth grade of school, one or another neurotic reaction is noted in almost half of the children. Is your child one of them? Do not panic and torment Google for predictions - neurotic disorders are reversible conditions that are successfully treated, especially in childhood, when the psyche is still plastic and easily amenable to correction.

Neuroses in children - where do they come from?

All neuroses are generally divided into two. large groups: reactive and those that appeared as a result of a combination of many factors, and not after a specific event. More precisely, the second group can also debut after a traumatic situation, but in this case the event will only be a “trigger”, a manifesting moment, and not the cause of the disease.

This point can be important in the treatment of neuroses in children, since it is much easier to “work through” one specific negative event with the help of psychotherapy than to correct all the mistakes of upbringing and the nuances of a little patient's worldview. In the first case, therapy will not take much time, but in the second, doctors will have to try a lot to return the child to a normal state.

The real causes of neuroses in children usually lie in the peculiarities of upbringing, the environment in the family where the child is brought up. If the parents themselves suffer from any neuroses or at least exhibit neurotic character traits from time to time, then the children simply “read” the parental model of behavior, and in the future they also have a risk of developing neurosis. Often, such disorders are "inherited" from generation to generation, until one of the family members changes their habitual patterns of behavior, passing on a healthy model to their offspring - and then the chain can be interrupted naturally.

Physiological reasons also play a rather large role, especially when it comes to very young children. Birth trauma, harmful effects on the fetus during pregnancy, serious illnesses in the first years of life also often provoke neuroses in preschool children.

On the Internet you can find a lot of psychological articles, whose meaning boils down to the fact that most neuroses in children are a consequence of "dislike", lack of attention from parents. This is partly true, but it is just as easy to raise a neurotic in an environment of overprotection, and presenting too strict requirements to your child.

In simple terms, neuroses in children and adolescents arise when some needs are not met by his environment in the way that a particular child needs. And we are not talking about whims and requirements "mom, buy!" - the basic needs of little people are, for example: security, having a loving adult, stability, acceptance, and so on. For each baby, these needs are quite individual, and only an attentive parent can accurately recognize what exactly he needs and what he categorically cannot stand.

Of course, it is very difficult to create completely ideal conditions for development and upbringing - most likely, this is simply impossible. However, attempts to "break the child on the knee" will definitely become the shortest path for the formation of childhood neuroses.

Symptoms of neuroses in children

The manifestations of neuroses in children are no less diverse than in adults, although they have their own characteristics. Psychologists usually use the following classification, although most of these names you will not find in ICD-10, in which neurotic disorders are denoted by completely different terminology.

Fear neurosis in children usually manifests itself in certain circumstances. Younger children are afraid of babayka, wind noise, spiders or darkness. As a child grows up, he may fear public speaking, large groups, tests at school and other situations that either make him the center of everyone's attention or require a perfect result (assessment). At the same time, at a young age, he can be capricious, hysterical, refuse to do anything, and at an older age, he can avoid an unpleasant situation by all means, skip lessons, run away from home, and so on.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder in children looks like a constant repetition of certain actions. The child may sniff, jerk their neck, cough, bite their nails, pull out their hair, or feel the urge to wash their hands endlessly. The manifestations of this neurosis can be very different, but the reason is always the same - increased anxiety.

Why do children have obsessive movements, what it says and how to cope with such a condition - the doctor's advice.

Asthenic neurosis or neurasthenia is characterized by irritability, problems with appetite, sleep disturbances, lethargy. Usually this type of neurosis develops in response to unbearable stress at school or in extra classes, and now it is often diagnosed in children aged 8-9 years.

A neurosis of a hypochondriacal nature in adults usually concerns the state of health, but little hypochondriacs doubt not only their physical well-being, but in general - in themselves, in their skills and mental abilities. Of course, in these doubts a big role is played by parental upbringing like “all children are like children, but mine…”. For a sensitive child, comparisons with other children and regular reprimands can be the starting point for neurosis.

Hysterical neurosis is not always manifested only by habitual "attacks" with falling to the floor, screaming and other whims. The "task" of the hysterics is to attract the attention of adults, and how he will do this is another question. Some children really lie on the floor in the store, others just complain of endless pain and ailments, trying to get love and acceptance in this way.

Stuttering of a neurotic nature occurs during the period of active speech formation - from 2 to 5 years. When a child is worried, he can hardly say the necessary words, but in a calm environment, this kind of stuttering can be almost imperceptible. Sometimes such a symptom arises in response to a traumatic situation, sometimes it is the result of increased stress and excessive demands, and it happens that he stutters only in communication with certain people - whom, deep down, he is very afraid of.

Almost all children have neurotic sleep disturbances from time to time. This is due to the fact that it is in a dream that an overloaded psyche tends to get rid of stress. For example, many children and adolescents begin to "sleepwalk" in recreation camps (the change in the usual environment affects), and children of primary school age often have conversations in their sleep.

Neurotic urinary incontinence requires some diagnostic caution. The fact is that individual episodes of incontinence at night are quite normal for children under 2-3 years old, but if the child has already grown up, and "accidents" still occur, then we can talk about the neurotic nature of this phenomenon, which can and should be cured.

In addition to all of the above, signs and symptoms of neuroses in children may include:

• nausea and vomiting;
• disorders of the gastrointestinal tract;
• headaches;
• weakness, lethargy, drowsiness;
• depressive and anxious thoughts;
• mutism (temporary lack of speech);
• constipation;
• pain in various parts of the body;
• fainting and light-headedness.

This is a fairly short list of the most common signs of childhood neuroses; in fact, their manifestations can be even more varied.

Diagnostics and treatment of childhood neuroses

Since the needs and problems of young patients differ significantly from those of adults, the diagnosis of childhood neuroses also has its own characteristics. The child cannot always clearly explain what is happening to him, what he is afraid of and what exactly he lacks. Therefore, conversations with a doctor cannot be the main method for making a correct diagnosis.

The first thing that parents need to do in cases where their child shows signs of a neurotic disorder is to comprehensively examine the child. Often, what others take for neurosis can be a symptom of a somatic illness, hormonal deficiency, brain disorders, and so on. If the examination reveals any problems, then first of all it is necessary to deal with the treatment of the detected disease.

If no serious abnormalities are found, then parents should consult a qualified psychotherapist or psychiatrist. There is no need to be afraid of such a visit - at present, neuroses are not “registered” even in ordinary PND, and an appeal to a private doctor generally excludes the dissemination of any information about the child's health.

At the same time, untreated neurosis can cause serious health problems in the future. For example, if a boy pees into bed before the age of five, it will be very difficult to get rid of this habit in an older age, which means that it will not be possible to avoid peer ridicule, which can eventually lead to depression from bedwetting.

Diagnosis of neurosis in children involves a thorough collection of family history, finding out the living conditions and development of the child, the situation in the parental family. Serious illnesses and possible psychological distress will also be taken into account. The doctor will receive all this information from the parents. And he will work with the child himself with the help of play methods, art therapy, fairy tale therapy, and so on, since this approach makes it easy to "talk" the little patient, who can express his feelings and needs in play.

So, the diagnosis has been made, and the parents are faced with a new question: "how to treat a child's neurosis?" We can say right away that it will take quite a long time and coordinated work of the doctor and parents to completely return a young patient to normal life.

Fortunately, medication is rarely needed in such situations. Psychotherapy of neuroses in children and adolescents is the main method of treating such disorders, since the psyche is still developing at this time, the brain has enormous resources for recovery.

It is worth remembering that attentive parents not only learn from the doctor how to treat childhood neurosis, but they themselves must take an active part in the process of psychotherapy. Since neurotic disorders are a “family” disease, often the help of a psychotherapist or even medication may be required by one of the parents. The causes of childhood neuroses almost always come from the family, and if the older generation changes their habitual patterns of behavior, then the child automatically adopts the new "rules of life", becoming more self-confident.

As already mentioned, the main method of treatment is regular and long-term psychotherapy under the guidance of a competent doctor. But at the same time, it is important to provide the little patient with a comfortable environment at home, to limit the time spent at the computer (which strongly "shakes" the nervous system even in adults). Creative activities, a clear daily routine, outdoor recreation, communication with friends and family members, and dosing of the training load play an important role in the treatment of neurosis in children. Symptoms with this approach will quickly subside even without the use of special drugs.

Why, with neuroses in children, it is necessary first of all to work with parents - says psychologist Veronika Stepanova.

The same advice will be relevant for the prevention of neuroses in children - even if the doctor says that your child is completely healthy, try to continue to follow all the recommendations so that the disorder does not come back with renewed vigor.

Summarize

In this material, we tried to tell as fully as possible about how to treat neurosis in children. But the examples we have given are fairly general, while the symptoms and treatment of a neurotic disorder can be very different for each young patient. Therefore, it is important to choose good doctor and clearly follow his advice and recommendations. Neuroses in children noticed and cured in time are a guarantee of a happy and healthy future, so you should not postpone treatment and wait for it to “resolve itself”. Cases of spontaneous recovery from neurosis are rare enough, so the health of your children (and mental too!) Is entirely in your hands.

There are many reasons why neuroses occur in childhood. Here are the main ones:

• mental trauma;
• poor heredity;
• poor relationship between mom and dad within the family;
• some illnesses suffered by the child;
• physical exhaustion;
• excessive emotional stress;
• total lack of sleep;
• mistakes made by parents in raising a baby.

Symptoms

Neuroses can be different, which means that the first signs of a painful condition may differ. Among the main symptoms of neurosis are the following:

• hysteria (a child who suffers from hysterical neurosis is very sensitive and egocentric, his mood constantly changes, he does not think of anyone but himself. Hysterical neurosis often manifests itself in childhood in the form of respiratory seizures, in which the baby seems to hold his breath , a seizure can also occur when the child is crying hysterically);
• neurasthenia (a neurotic child constantly cries, it is by crying that he achieves everything he wants. Such a baby is passive, he behaves sluggishly, is not particularly interested in anything, but if only he needs something, he immediately hits crying - this is his a powerful weapon against “rebellious” parents);
• obsessive-compulsive neurosis is characterized by the child's indecision, his excessive suspiciousness, self-doubt, anxiety and many fears (usually children who suffer from this type of neurosis are afraid of everything new, as well as loneliness, spiders and snakes, darkness);
• tic is another symptom of a neurotic state, these conditioned reflex actions occur due to damage to the child's brain;
• stuttering, which first manifests itself at an early age (in the interval from two to four years);
• enuresis (enuresis is only a symptom of neurosis when bedwetting first occurred after a mental trauma, physiological and neurotic incontinence should not be confused);
• encopresis - fecal incontinence (quite often this symptom is the primary and most important symptom of neurosis).

Diagnosis of neurosis

It is incredibly important to identify the neurosis as early as possible. The more neglected the disease is, the more difficult it will be to get rid of it. Diagnosis of a neurotic state in childhood is divided into several successive stages:

• the doctor analyzes the life of the little patient and his behavior;
• the doctor analyzes the relationship of the child with parents and with peers;
• the physician organizes communication with a potential patient in the form of a game, during this communication the doctor asks the baby prepared questions;
• the doctor observes the baby in the process of game communication;
• analyzes pictures drawn by a child that can tell a lot about the state of his psyche;
• the doctor examines the next of kin of the little patient;

at the very end, the doctor takes on the development of a psychotherapeutic treatment that is individual for each individual patient.

Complications

The main thing that makes neurosis dangerous in childhood is the degeneration of a neurotic reaction into a neurotic state. The result is irreversible changes in personality psychology, as well as all the other unpleasant consequences that these changes entail.

Treatment

What can you do

The first thing to do for parents whose child has been diagnosed with neurosis is to reconsider their own attitude towards the baby. It is possible that improper upbringing was the cause of the neurotic state. The kid will be healthy and happy only in a family where the weather is good, where love and understanding reign.

Dad and mom must understand: the treatment of neurosis is a doctor's business. They can only help, make their contribution. But in no case should you try to take on the duties of a doctor. If you suspect neurotic disorder the child's parents should immediately seek medical help.

What a doctor can do

Due to the fact that the only way to cure neurosis in a child is individual psychotherapy, the doctor will most likely resort to this method. But there are many options for psychotherapy. The doctor may prescribe the following psychotherapeutic treatment:

• art therapy (sculpting or drawing) is a variant of psychotherapy in which the kid, by drawing, has the opportunity to understand his own inner world;
• game psychotherapy is selected and developed taking into account the age of the little patient, but the doctor takes an obligatory part in this game process, it is he who directs the treatment game;
• fairy tale therapy is an excellent opportunity for a doctor to carry out psychocorrection, this is one of the unique ways of meditation for children;
• autogenous training - classes that allow you to completely relax the muscles, this method is relevant when the patient is a teenager, and the disease is tic or logoneurosis (stuttering);
• group psychotherapy (this method is indicated when the child has serious personality disorders or difficulties with communication, the baby is either overly egocentric or overly shy).

Prevention

The main preventive measure aimed at preventing neurosis in a child is understanding the causes of such a painful condition. If parents know what may cause a neurosis in their child, they will be extremely careful, they will begin to bypass the “sharp corners” side, pay more attention to education.

Parents should create the most favorable weather in their family, and for this:

• it is necessary to organize adequate physical activity for the baby (possibly increase, and possibly decrease, minimize);
• timely and correctly treat somatic ailments;
• organize a balanced diet;
• treat infectious diseases on time;
• make sure that the baby sleeps and rests enough;
• to educate correctly, forming a personality in the child with a capital letter.

Pathological disorders of the nervous system associated with negative changes in the course of higher-order nervous processes occur in both adults and children. We are talking about neuroses. This pathology is not associated with the appearance of noticeable damage in the child's body. Patients have no physical injury, no signs of infection, or inflammatory processes... The nature of such ailments is psychogenic in nature - psychotrauma, an individual person's response to stressful situations. Neuroses in children are distinguished by the reversibility of NS disorders, when the action of external stimuli causes an irrational type of reaction due to low maturity due to small age.

Neurosis: what is it and what is the danger

The neurosis in children caused by a change in the mental state is reversible. At the same time, there is no distortion in the perception of the world around them. Despite the fact that biological factors can act as the cause of neurosis in a child, such psychogenic deformations are often a response to factors of psycho-traumatic action. Therefore, one should not confuse neurosis with other severe mental illness a child, for example, schizophrenia or psychosis. After all, there are no signs of personality destruction in children.

But the danger of neurosis lies in a completely different area - children themselves are not able to give an answer to what is really happening to them. And the parents' reaction is often not what it should be. Of course, the formation and gradual development of the child's higher NS comes from birth. From this moment on, the formation of his personality takes place. But this process is activated only at the age of three. Up to this point, it is difficult for a child to talk about his fears or emotions with neurosis. And only as we grow up, there is a clearer outlining of the manifestations of neuroses. They are mental or emotional in nature.

Indeed, the diagnosis of childhood neuroses is possible only from the age of 3. But in most cases, parents do not pay attention to neurotic changes in the behavior and condition of the child. But even if they become especially noticeable, adults prefer to view them as ordinary age-related moods that should disappear over time.

What are the causes of childhood neuroses

If you do not pay attention to the existing problems with an immature psyche in children, then over time they will only get worse and turn into a neurotic state already in adolescence. The physical condition will deteriorate with neurosis, there will be difficulties in communicating with other children and adolescents. And then psychological changes can become irreversible, the child's personality will undergo significant deformations.

What can cause a child's neurosis? There are a lot of them and are conditionally divided into two groups:

• hereditary predisposition in the development of the nervous system and a number of other organic prerequisites for neurosis in a child;
• factors of neurosis in a child due to trauma.

A predisposition or stressful situation alone is often not enough for a neurosis. The provoking moments are necessary, which become the basis of the neurotic reaction. They can be neuro-emotional or physical stress, chronic fatigue, past illnesses and even conflicts and tensions in the family.

And, of course, it should be remembered that the features of the manifestation of a neurosis, the severity of the course, characteristic manifestations depend on a number of parameters:

• gender and age characteristics of the child;
• the specifics of upbringing in a child's family;
• character and temperament in children.

Biological causes

The hereditary factor, which predetermines problems in the formation of the nervous system, plays one of the primary roles in the manifestation of neurosis in a child.

But along with it, there are other reasons of an organic nature:

1. Immature nervous system child. This feature is due to the uneven development of its individual components, which leads to subsequent instability and neurosis in the child.
2. Lack of regulation of periods of employment and rest in children, which leads to fatigue and neurosis.
3. Increased physical and mental loads that do not correspond to the capabilities and age tolerance for the child lead to neurosis.

The factors of this group create the basis for the fact that with the activation of any reason of a different type or as a result of provoking events, the psyche of a small person may not withstand. A neurotic reaction occurs and the child's neurosis is aggravated.

Traumatic factors

The main influence on the formation of nervousness in children and adolescents is exerted by psychotrauma proper - deformations of consciousness as a result of events that have an extremely negative impact. Such cases cause persistent anxiety in the child, often depress and suppress him.

Children over the age of two are prone to acute trauma and neurosis, as they are able to understand the situation. The cause can be road accidents, severe fright, including through the fault of parents, various accidents and disasters in which children participated. But the traumatic factor of the chronic type is considered to be family conflicts, constant tension in relationships among loved ones, unfavorable conditions in the team where the child spends time.

When these reasons are realized, the temperament and age of the children are important. For example, nervous diseases of preschool age are often associated with the two-year period, when constant separation from working parents and the beginning of kindergarten are relevant. In the future, the divorce of parents, fear or cruelty in education can play a leading role in neurosis.

What are the provoking factors

A child with a balanced psyche is able to survive one or two unpleasant situations without manifestations of neurosis. However, with the simultaneous appearance of many factors, the body cannot cope, tension builds up, which leads to failures and to the emergence of neurosis in the child.

Actions of adults

The most powerful provoking effect on the onset of neurosis-like syndrome is made by mistakes made by parents and other adults from the environment. Children experience constant tension, negative psychoreactions appear, and in adulthood this develops into instability of the psyche and behavior, neurosis.

These situations include:

• a child's feeling that it is undesirable for parents to be born, for example, they wanted a boy, but a girl was born;
• excessive custody and unwillingness to give the opportunity to show independence, which is typical for single-parent families;
• constant conflicts in the child's family.

External influence

The effect of one parameter in a favorable family environment is unlikely to be decisive, because parents will help solve the problem. But if the factor contributing to the occurrence of a breakdown manifests itself not in loneliness, but in a complex with other driving forces, and even in an incomplete family, then the situation may get out of control.

Among the external provoking conditions of neurosis in a child, one can distinguish:

• changing living conditions and a typical way of life - moving to another area, from city to village and vice versa, leaving the country;
• renewal of the child's team - admission to kindergarten and school, their change, visiting sections, conflict situations in microgroups leads to neurosis in the child;
• intra-family processes - the divorce of parents or their separation, the appearance of a stepmother or stepfather, the birth of a brother, sister, the death of relatives.

Character traits

Children of different character and temperament react differently to traumatic stimuli. A sensitive child and a born leader will perceive the same factor on a different plane.

Therefore, it is necessary to take into account such features at the moment of neurosis:

1. Emotional, sensitive children require constant care, attention, affection. In the absence of these conditions, they begin to fear that their parents no longer need them and a neurosis arises.
2. Children with leadership inclinations want to make decisions on their own, they demand freedom, the ability to express an opinion. With strong guardianship, prohibitions, tough upbringing, they are prone to whims, stubbornness, protests and neurosis.
3. In case of health problems, the child may need constant care, they get used to living under protection. Therefore, they have a strong sense of helplessness, and the attempt to give freedom causes stress and fear, as well as neurosis.
4. In disadvantaged families, children lack attention, love and emotions. This applies to asocial families, orphanages and boarding schools. This causes a neurosis in the child.

How neurosis manifests itself: the main signs

Treatment of any disease, exactly the same as the elimination of mental disorders, requires timely recognition of the problem and assessment of the characteristic features in a particular situation.

There are signs of neurosis that appear with psychoemotional deformities and do not depend on the type of neurotic syndrome. Among them it is worth noting:

• changes in the behavioral nature of the child with neurosis;
• manifestation of character traits that were not previously characteristic;
• sensitivity that parents did not notice until the onset of problems, an increased tendency to cry in a child for any reason;
• aggressiveness and loss in stressful situations with neurosis;
• excessive anxiety, irascibility, constant fears of the child, vulnerability at the moment of neurosis.

Neurosis can be accompanied by negative somatic changes. Children lose perseverance, concentration of attention is minimized, memory deteriorates. There are also attacks of tachycardia, pressure surges with neurosis. The child has problems with breathing and digestion, sweating increases. Strong noise and light begin to irritate, sleep becomes restless with neurosis, insomnia manifests itself, although in the morning the child cannot be woken up the first time.

Varieties of neuroses and their symptoms

When considering a problem, one should not use overly confusing classifications. The types of neuroses are different, let's consider the main ones.

Anxiety neurosis

Many children who are overprotected and doomed to loneliness in isolation from the team, frequent attacks of fear and neurosis. They appear during preparation for sleep and at night, sometimes visions are possible. If preschoolers are afraid of the dark as such and the "dark forces" lurking in it, then schoolchildren tend to worry about academic performance, relationships with teachers and adolescents. As a result, a fear of loneliness is formed, a change in mood and behavioral reactions, voluntary urination is possible, and schoolchildren often skip school due to neurosis.

Obsessive-compulsive and fearful neurosis

In the event of emotional overstrain of the child, he may experience involuntary actions. They are obsessive, for example, blinking, blinking, wrinkling of the nose, uncontrolled movements of the limbs, sniffing or coughing with neurosis are possible.

An involuntary slight twitching may have psychological nature with neurosis or caused by problems in the body. Often in boys after the age of five, a nervous tic is fixed - blinking or rubbing the eyes becomes obsessive, and against the background of acute respiratory viral infections, there is often a coughing or sniffing at the time of neurosis.

Depressive neurosis

They are characteristic of adolescents with neurosis. In the process of maturation, there is a need for loneliness, avoidance of collectives and small groups. At the same time, the mood deteriorates, it is often suppressed. A schoolchild can cry with neurosis, his self-esteem decreases, the child is confident in a negative perception of himself by other people. Physical problems are also possible - drowsiness, fatigue, sleep disturbance, lack of desire to eat at the time of neurosis. Depression can lead to extremely negative steps, so it is advisable to identify it in a child in a timely manner and correct it.

Hysteria

Parents of preschoolers may face such a problem. A neurotic child will fall to the floor, scream, cry, bang on the floor or other objects. Some cause coughing and vomiting. At an older age, breathing difficulties, blindness of hysterical origin, decreased sensitivity are possible skin at the moment of neurosis.

Neurasthenic effect

Infantile neurasthenia can also cause serious problems. The reason is the desire of parents to make geeks out of their children, or simply the desire to keep them busy. Due to the weakness of the body, the oversaturation of the child's life by visiting circles and sections often leads to a decrease in the ability to concentrate, perseverance and attentiveness fall, and neurosis arises. Children get tired and have trouble eating and sleeping.

Hypochondria

If a child is overly suspicious, he has an example of a relative or loved one with serious illnesses, then he begins to look for ailments in himself. Fear of getting sick causes anxiety, neurosis, the student gets upset, worries.

Stuttering

This ailment is inherent in preschool children, who are just developing correct speech. Such a childhood neurosis is distinguished by symptoms next manifestation: pauses in conversation, repetition of syllables, difficulty in pronunciation. The reasons for the manifestation are very different. It can be a family problem, scandals, divorce of parents, i.e. a consequence of stress, fears. But there are also simpler sources of neurosis - the desire of parents to teach how to talk as quickly as possible, overloading the child with new information.

Somnambulism

Boys and girls 3-5 years old suffer from such neurosis. Problems with falling asleep and sleep uniformity in neurosis are characteristic. They often have scary stories that encourage children to talk or walk without waking up.

How to diagnose

First of all, one should not dismiss manifestations, for example, obsessive states. It is necessary to pay close attention to the child's complaints and, if there are signs of neurosis, contact a specialist - pediatrician, neurologist, psychotherapist. It is important to exclude other types of diseases and correctly determine the type of neurosis.

For this, the diagnostic procedure will include:

1. Communication of a specialist with parents in order to assess the situation in the family, including the peculiarities of relationships in it and outside it.
2. Family research to form a psychological portrait of parents and adults in contact with the child. It is important at this stage to identify the typical mistakes in education and the causes of neurosis.
3. Communication with the child in a playful way or through a confidential conversation.
4. Observing the natural behavior of the child during play or other typical behavior.
5. Analysis of visual images in figures - the method helps to assess emotional condition, deep experiences with neurosis and expectations.

Psychotherapeutic effect

This is the main direction in the fight against neuroses in young children. It is on psychotherapy that the emphasis is placed when the question of how to treat and how to get rid of problems as efficiently as possible is being decided.

Family-type co-therapy

This direction of the therapeutic effect for neurosis in children is performed in the following sequence:

1. Establishing a family diagnosis with the specification of the characteristics and deviations in neurosis.
2. Discussion of the identified problems with parents and relatives, conviction of the need for therapy.
3. Lesson with the child in the playroom to create an atmosphere of trust and emotional contact.

Individual work

With this type of therapy for neurosis in children, various methods are used. In the course of the explanatory technology, the specialist confidentially explains to the child the essence of the changes taking place with him. Then the reasons are determined in a playful way and the child is given the opportunity to find a way out of the situation with neurosis himself.

Art therapy involves engaging in creativity and observing the child to provide information about hidden fears and experiences. Modeling, drawing, applications for neurosis are used.

In the event of a neurosis in a teenager, treatment can be carried out by autogenous training... Muscle relaxation helps to effectively fight stuttering, tics, problems with involuntary urination with neurosis.

Medication treatment

The use of drugs is not the main way to solve neurosis problems in a child. Medication with neuroses, they are aimed at eliminating individual symptoms. They can help reduce anxiety or depression in children. Often used in conjunction with psychotherapy. Prescribe nootropic drugs, vitamin complexes, drugs to reduce asthenia. Herbal medicine is also used with medicinal teas and tinctures for neurosis in a child.

Features of prevention

The most important thing in preventing neuroses is creating a favorable environment without conflicts, scandals and stress. You should follow the diet, not overload the child and provide him with interesting activities during the day. Prevention of nervous disorders and neurosis requires constant confidential contact with the child on an emotional level. This way, you can recognize the symptoms in a timely manner and prevent the growth of disorders.

Treatment of neuroses in preschoolers and schoolchildren is not an easy task. But it is necessary to start therapy as early as possible so that changes in the child's condition do not take hold and do not manifest themselves as negative consequences in adulthood.