Psychological distress refers to a range of experiences and symptoms that maybe viewed as troubling, confusing or out of the ordinary. According to the World Health Organization report, one in every four children in the age range of 13 to 15 suffer from depression in India and two-third parents either miss or fail to recognize these signs of depression. In a study done on high school students in Kolkata, it was found out that academic stress and parental pressure is a potential factor in developing psychiatric illnesses in individuals. The signs of depression can manifest in several ways such as an unhealthy preoccupation with depressive thoughts, persistent low mood, diminished interest in academic and extracurricular activities, lack of appetite and subsequent weight loss, lethargy, inattention, easy distractibility and low concentration. Since depression can have a deterring impact on the child\u2019s academic record and social interactions, it might further isolate the individual and hamper their mental health to a greater extent <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You may like: <\/strong>6 Best Ways of Anxiety Treatment in Kolkata<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Anxiety<\/a><\/strong> is a negative emotion that can persistently affect one\u2019s health and lead to physical ailments. If a child cannot cope with daily and academic stressors, the anxiety can be crippling, gradually pushing one towards a nervous breakdown. It is to be noted that according to 2015 data from the National Crime Records Bureau, 8934 (6.7% of all suicides) students are committing suicide every year in India, which amounts to the death of one student every hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anxiety can reflect in one\u2019s behaviour in several ways, such\nas restlessness, fatigue, sleep disturbance. The child may be avoidant of\nstepping out of the house or consistently fail to speak in specific social\nsituations. Anxiety in stepping out of one\u2019s comfort zone can abruptly bring\nforth an episode of panic attack which is characterized by physical uneasiness,\nsuch as shortness of breath, sweating, shaking, choking, nausea and unsteadiness.\nThese red flags in the behaviour mean that a child requires psychological\ncounselling and professional help. Anxiety regarding the future in the current\neconomic and environmental scenario is a legitimate concern and the awareness\nabout the same is the most crucial step towards helping children in mitigating\nsuch negative emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may like: <\/strong>Best Child Abuse Counselling and Therapy<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The clinical mental health practitioner\u2019s major concern is that several other mental disorders co-occur with both depression and anxiety such as eating disorder, conduct disorder and neuro developmental disorder. Therefore, addressing these issues at an early stage is necessary to treat and help build resilience in dealing with the same as well as boosting emotional stability and confidence. Counselling provides the child a safe-space to identify, address and work through the conflicts and crises one is facing without the fear of prejudgment. The therapist is an unbiased and impartial presence in whom the child can confide. Once their problems are recognized, through motivational training and stress management, children can uncover insights into their problems, and maintain their habit of solution-focused problem solving as well as effective emotional regulation in the face of difficult emotional demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may like: <\/strong>Psychotherapy for Children<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally,\nin the cutting-edge generation of the young minds getting bombarded with a\ntorrent of information, the fear of missing out also creates significant level\nof anxiety and peer-pressure to prove one\u2019s capabilities. In a counselling\nset-up, the therapist can bring to the knowledge of the child the various\navenues of self-exploration, upliftment and growth, thereby enabling the child\nto make well-informed decisions. Counselling also helps with identifying key\nchallenges to self-agency, academic difficulties, and time management and learning\neffective strategies to solving them. Besides psychological counselling, career\ncounselling can help students find their calling and this effectively engages\none\u2019s mind, thus reduces the trauma of continuing a career dispassionately. The\nexpert clinical eye of a therapist does not miss minute details and can probe\ninto deeper problems the child might face in school, such as bullying and\ntorture. Through projective tests and psychological assessments an accurate and\nholistic picture of the personality attributes, psychological functioning and\nintellectual abilities can be gauged to help the individual and provide\nnecessary social support or psychiatric referral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the\nexponential growth of mental health burden on the world economy, there is\ngreater need for having open discussions regarding the opinions of young\nindividuals, their romantic interests, academic aspirations and imparting sex\neducation to children and young adolescents at a very young age. In that\ncontext, a viable source of change and satisfactory resolution is the attitude\nof the parents and the home environment the child is exposed to. Thus, active\ninvolvement of the parents in the counselling process helps to bring to the\nknowledge of the therapist the potential stressors for the child as well as\nbrainstorming ideas of reducing the same. In most households with both parents\nbeing involved in an occupation outside the house, the time for attending to\nthe queries and complaints of the child becomes hard to balance with\nprofessional demands to cater to. Hence, besides child counselling, family\ncounselling helps bring on board the seminal topics that are ignored or\noverlooked at the domestic level. Failing to do so can escalate to greater\nproblems such as severe separation anxiety, trust issues, substance abuse, and\nexcessive obsession with perfection, suicidal thoughts in the adolescent and\neven the onset of psychotic disorders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore,\nparents should always encourage their children to engage in frank conversations\nabout their feelings and not shy away from seeking a psychologist\u2019s help in\ncase that is deemed essential for the mental stability and wholesome\ndevelopment of the child. Given that depression is a difficult and sensitive\nissue to discuss with parents and the limited ability of children to express\nsuch intense emotions, parents need to be more conscious and well-aware of the\nearly signs of depression in their children. Hence, the need to psycho-educate\nparents is crucial, so that they are open to accept and acknowledge the need of\ntherapeutic intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In conclusion, it must be reiterated and emphasized upon that childhood depression and academic anxiety are not negligible issues and must be given the importance it deserves. A healthy mind will ensure a healthier future and psychological counselling provides an edge towards that goal. If you know anyone who needs help kindly contact us on +919073372300 for the best\u00a0child counsellor in Kolkata<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n MindYog<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Address: Signet Tower, 9th Floor, DN-2, DN Block, Sector V, Bidhannagar, Kolkata, West Bengal 700091<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Phone: 090733 72300<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n