What diseases cause nervous breakdowns in a child. What to do if the child is nervous and naughty? How to get rid of children's tantrums? How to alert the condition

A nervous breakdown is a mental state accompanied by inadequate human behavior, affective reactions. This is the body's response to prolonged, high overload. Simply put, this is what the people call “patience burst”, “the cup overflowed”, “somehow everything fell down”.

it defensive reaction organism. If a man long time does not fully rest, holds back negative emotions, is in a state, then sooner or later the psyche will take the initiative in its own hands. A nervous breakdown is a surge of internal tension, an indicator of maximum overwork.

The peak of nervous breakdowns falls on 30-40 years, and this is not an accident. This period accounts for the maximum activity of a person in work, building family life. Indeed, a lot of things are piled up at once, you need to be in time everywhere: to be a good specialist, an exemplary husband and father, an excellent friend, a decent citizen.

Causes

Causes of a nervous breakdown:

• mental and physical exhaustion, overload;
• , for example, the loss loved one, parting;
• prolonged conflicts, quarrels, difficulties in relationships;
• failures at work or in personal life;
• conditions of increased responsibility at work, in society, family;
• job loss, financial hardship;
• divorce;
• news of a fatal or serious illness, including a loved one;
• disability;
• systematic lack of sleep;
• malnutrition, diet;
• grueling workouts.

A nervous breakdown often occurs against the background of unpleasant events and life changes, but seemingly pleasant moments or situations that a person copes with can cause tension and breakdown: the birth of a child, marriage, moving, job change, starting work, etc. d.

Risk group

The probability of a nervous breakdown depends not only on the strength of the influence of factors, but also on the characteristics of a person: level, properties of the psyche, personality traits.

The risk group includes:

• people with anxiety disorder and as a character trait;
• personalities, people with other disorders;
• neurotic personalities;
• people with disabilities hormonal background, diseases;
• drug and alcohol addicts.

Vitamin deficiency aggravates the situation. Lack of potassium, magnesium, calcium, vitamins of groups B and E causes a weakening of activity nervous system.

What to do

You need to fight not with a nervous breakdown, but with its cause. And there is only one reason. But the factors that caused it are different for all people. It is better to undergo a course of psychotherapy to deal with the true causes.

Regardless of age at the time of the breakdown, the following actions are important:

• Security. Everything must be done so that a person does not cripple himself and others. For a burst of energy, you can let him beat a pillow, a pear, or entrust him with hard physical work.
• Adoption. At the moment of a breakdown, you can’t shout at a person, condemn, blame for hysteria, ask to calm down. Let's let off some steam.
• Support. You can pronounce the person’s feelings and offer your help: “You are angry, let's think together how to fix it. I want to help you". Don't say "I understand you". Subconsciously, this is angry, because each person is convinced of the uniqueness of their problems. Often this is true. But you can tell a similar, albeit fictional story: “You know, I somehow ...”.
• Restraint and coldness of reactions. Man himself is maximally charged with emotions. No need to lisp, mumble something, convey your tension. Speak in monosyllables like command.
• If possible, leave the person alone or stay with him alone, but do not forget about safety.
• After he calms down, provide rest and recuperation: sleep, drink, rest. Do not immediately arrange a "debriefing".

If a person is not aggressive, but is in a state of shock, trembling, then the tremor can be removed by accelerating it. Shake the person by the shoulders, but verbalize what you're doing so they don't mistake it for aggression.

Child breakdown

Children are subject to stress no less than adults, and in some situations even more, for example, at the time of adaptation to school. A nervous breakdown in a child is a tantrum.

What to do:

1. Quickly remove anything that the child could harm himself or others with. If the tantrum is strong, then physically restrain the child himself.
2. Distract him. Start behaving unexpectedly: clap, shout. Or show me your favorite toy. You know better what the child will react to.
3. Cool the child, wash.
4. Leave the child alone with you, but do not lose sight of it. Do not push, but do not cease to control the situation.
5. Brew and drink herbal tea.

In no case do not shout at the child, do not answer with the same hysteria, do not take his insults seriously. All that is needed at this moment is total acceptance, security. Talk later when emotions come out.

As with adult relapses, you need to deal with the real reason breakdown in a child: fear, overwork, problems with friends, resentment against adults, destructive, conflicts between mom and dad.

Presented Methods − emergency help at the moment of the hysteria itself, but this is not a solution to the problem. Talk to your child, ask him to draw what worries him, contact a psychotherapist. Children with advanced problems need sessions with a psychologist.

Breakdown in a teenager

It is more difficult to restrain a teenager physically, but you also need to secure the space as much as possible. Leave the teen alone, but don't lose control. Let me blow off steam: scream, cry. Try to avoid him leaving the house, do not provoke it. Don't talk unless your teen wants to.

After the attack, offer your support. Talk about what worries the child. If he can't open up to you or you don't know how to help, see a therapist.

Breakdown in an adult

At the moment of an emotional outburst, a person needs to be calmed down with the help of symptomatic medications. Again, for a prescription, it is better to consult a doctor. He will examine, prescribe the appropriate drugs: antidepressants, tranquilizers, sedatives.

You can take a herbal sedative on your own: valerian, motherwort, lemon balm. It is recommended to spend a couple of days at home, lie down.

Afterword

The main cause of relapse is chronic stress. You don't have to endure. There is always a way out, but also always positive changes are outside, surrounded

How to prevent a nervous breakdown in a child? What are the symptoms? What parenting mistakes lead to a nervous breakdown in a child? About this and much more in this article.

Nervous breakdowns in children

Life constantly puts its "natural experiments" on us. From how strong our nervous system is, how much it is trained for various kinds of surprises, neuropsychic health depends. The hardest thing in this regard is for children. early age. The higher parts of their nervous system are still immature, are in the process of formation, defense mechanisms of the brain are imperfect, so a breakdown can easily occur, a neurotic disorder can develop. Incorrect methods of upbringing, ignoring by parents the possibility of a nervous breakdown in a child with an overstrain of the irritable or inhibitory process or their mobility often lead to sad results.

Let's explain with concrete examples.

• The child was frightened by the dog that rushed at him, he began to stutter. (There is an overstrain of the irritable process).
• The mother forced her three-year-old daughter to eat, threatening with a belt. The girl could not stand semolina, but "restrained" herself, ate through force, fearing punishment. As a result of an overstrain of the inhibitory process, she developed anorexia - an aversion to food and nervous vomiting.
• The family broke up. The husband began a lawsuit for the right to raise his son. The boy loved both his father and mother and did not want to part with either of his parents. And his father and mother alternately slandered him at each other, humiliated each other. As a result of overexertion mobility nervous processes, their collision the child had night terrors.

Causes of a nervous breakdown in children

Mistakes in upbringing are one of the main causes of childhood nervous diseases. However, they are not necessarily the result of neglect or any malice. Far from it. In a number of cases, if not in the majority, they are committed because the parents do not know the mental, physiological, age characteristics characteristic of the child, and also because they do not always try to figure out the reasons for this or that action of the baby.

EXAMPLE:

Vova grew up as a very inquisitive boy. He asked so many questions during the day that one day his grandmother threatened him: "If you don't shut up right now, I'll call Baba Yaga, she'll drag you into the forest." - "And I'll run away!" - "You won't run away, she will enchant you, your legs will be taken away." At this time they called. "You see," said the grandmother and went to open the door. The postman entered the room, an old woman, gray-haired, all wrinkled. Vova immediately understood; baba yaga! He noticed with horror that the Baba Yaga was looking straight at him. “I don’t want to go to the forest!” the boy wanted to scream, but his voice was gone. He decided to run away to another room, but his legs did not work, "were taken away." Vova fell to the floor. called out ambulance. The boy was admitted to the hospital. He could neither walk nor speak, he lay all the time with tightly closed eyes.

We have told you about only one rather personal case of adult misbehavior that led to a nervous breakdown. There are also intimidations of this order; “If you behave badly, aunt doctor will give you an injection,” or “I’ll give it to my uncle, a policeman,” or “If you don’t obey, the dog will drag you away” ... a doctor who comes to a sick child terrifies him. "Buka", which parents used to scare, comes to the baby at night in a dream, and he wakes up in the country, screams, cannot calm down for a long time. Fright as a result of intimidation often causes a stressful situation, becomes the cause of a neurotic reaction. In unprepared impressionable children (with weakened nervous processes), fear can even cause the appearance of "mummers" at a children's matinee, aggressiveness wild beast in the zoo, an acute experience during the performance of aerial gymnasts in the circus.

EXAMPLE:

Yura got to the New Year's party for the first time in his life. He liked everything about the party. With amazement, he looked at the huge Christmas tree in the middle of the hall, all in sparkles, toys, garlands, in multi-colored lights. Near the Christmas tree, Santa Claus led a round dance with the children. Yura, at first timid, grew bolder and went closer to the round dance. Cheerful lop-eared hares jumped around him, a red fox ran past. Suddenly, Yura noticed how a big brown bear came out from behind the Christmas tree, waddling from foot to foot, spreading its paws - "quite real." The bear went to Yura. Now he is already quite close, now he has already raised his paws over Yura. The boy noticed the terrible claws. And he screamed piercingly, rushed to the first door that came across. The door was locked. Then he hung on the handle, fell, began to beat his head and hands on the floor.

Of course, fear can cause and completely unseen circumstances, for example, natural disaster - earthquake, fire, thunderstorm, car accident. However, in addition to intimidation, incorrect or insufficient explanations of certain phenomena and situations are most often the cause of frightening the cause of the occurrence of an insurmountable stressful situation for the child. For example, a child is taken to the zoo. Why not explain to him that there are both good, kind animals and wild, scary ones. Then it is unlikely that an aggressive reaction, say, a tiger, will cause an unexpected fright in a child. And, of course, children are completely unprepared for the scandals of their parents, especially reaching rude insults and even fights. The ugly behavior of a drunken father is also an overpowering irritant.

Factors that cause a nervous breakdown in young children:

• Acute sudden shock.
• A long-acting psycho-traumatic situation, which gradually causes stress, leads to a collision and a nervous breakdown.

Such a traumatic factor can be both an unfavorable situation in the family, and different views of parents on education. For example, the father is overly strict, punishes for trifles, while the mother, on the contrary, is inferior to the child in everything. In addition, parents in the presence of the baby argue about the methods of education. The father cancels the decision of the mother, and the mother, secretly from the father, allows the child not to follow his instructions and orders. As a result, the child has a collision of nervous processes, and the feeling of security and confidence also disappears.

Prevention of nervous breakdowns in preschool children

With the wrong methods of upbringing, undesirable character traits and bad habits can form in children.

The task for the educators of kids is to instill in children the desire for good things and to form the qualities necessary for life in a team. But one should also, and this is very often forgotten, take care to grow up a mentally balanced person, with a strong nervous system, capable of overcoming difficulties.

Caring for the child's nervous system begins from the first days of his life. We will not talk about the importance of the regimen, rational nutrition, and the fulfillment of hygiene requirements. All this is more or less known to the parents. Less well known to them are the correct methods of education that help the formation of a healthy nervous system in a child.

Examples of life situations

Imagine a train compartment. A family is traveling - a mother, a father and a seven-year-old son. "Caring" parents constantly "educate" the boy: they reward him with slaps and slaps almost every time he moves and for a variety of reasons, and sometimes for no reason. It is impossible to predict what he will receive the next slap on the back of the head for.

The boy, apparently, was accustomed to such treatment, he did not cry, but seemed completely wild, he was excited, fussy. Every now and then he broke loose and began to rush along the corridor, pushing passengers aside, grabbed and touched what was not allowed, once he almost opened the stopcock. For all this he received a corresponding bribe. But he was pulled back even when he did not do anything illegal.

As it turned out, the boy was not stupid at all: he showed natural curiosity at his age. And yet before this is clearly a sick child.

And here is another example: three-year-old Misha, seeing how other children do it, fell to the floor and began to beat with his feet when his mother refused to fulfill his desire. The mother stood and calmly looked at her son. But Misha did not stop the roar, and this is very harmful for the nervous system.

Then my mother said:

Misha, you will stain your new suit. Take a newspaper, lay it down and then you can lie on it.

Misha stopped crying, got up, took the newspaper, spread it out, and while he was doing this, he already forgot why he had to kick and shout; laying still, he stood up. Since then, every time he began to act up, Misha was reminded that before lying on the floor, he had to spread a newspaper. And while he was doing this, he was already calming down, and there was no need to go to bed.

We gave these two examples only for comparison: in the first case, the "pedagogical techniques" of the parents led to nervous disease child, in the second - the calm and even attitude of the mother, her methods of education, thought out taking into account individual characteristics it was her neat Mishenka who prevented the development of whims and nervousness in him.

Let's go back to the first example. What exactly brought the child into a state of nervous excitement? The conflicting demands of the parents, i.e., in the language of physiologists, "a collision of nervous processes": the boy received a definite order from one of the parents and immediately the opposite demand from the other.

The randomness of orders caused the same chaotic state in his nervous system. Incessant pain stimuli also undoubtedly had a harmful effect on his nervous system.

Let us add to these convincing words the fact that fear and pain upset the nervous system.

The well-known psychiatrist S. S. Korsakov wrote that age determines the instability and vulnerability of the nervous system, which is special for each period of life, as a result of which painful phenomena are caused by causes that are especially strong at this particular age.

Preschool age has peculiar features that leave an imprint on the neurotic manifestations of the child.

A characteristic feature is the predominance of feelings over reason. This makes the child especially vulnerable and susceptible to nervous shocks. From the point of view of adults, the causes of these upheavals sometimes seem insignificant, but they seem completely different to the child. Children are not yet able to fully comprehend the impressions received and evaluate them reasonably. Hence the so-called childhood fears that are so common in children, sometimes turning into a state of neurosis. Children are afraid of everything unknown and incomprehensible.

Children suffer when they cannot comprehend the situation in which they have to live. For example, they cannot resolve family conflicts and judge who is right and who is wrong in family quarrels. Children find themselves in a tangle of conflicting experiences, and the power of these experiences is sharper in them than in adults.

Very often you can hear from adults: "He is still small, he does not understand anything." This idea of ​​the little ones, as it were, frees parents from responsibility for their behavior. Adults forget that this “misunderstanding” is what children can suffer from. Adults rarely think about the irreparable harm they do to children by making them participants in their quarrels. The atmosphere of hostility in which a child has to live can become the cause of his nervous state.

Feature up school age- close connection of the psyche with the physical state. We could say the same about adults, but in children this connection is even more direct.

Appearances of nervousness are most often found in physically weakened children. And for the period of childhood falls a large number of infectious diseases representing fertile ground for the emergence of nervous states.

In the case histories of nervous children, we also find references to various factors that adversely affect the nervous system. Adverse factors can be prenatal - unsuccessful mother's pregnancy, trauma during childbirth, postpartum - infections, head bruises, etc. Each of these hazards can cause an independent, sometimes serious illness, but most often it weakens the child's nervous system. Children with a weak nervous system do not adapt well to the environment, they are not able to overcome difficulties that are easily overcome by healthy ones. It is children with a weakened nervous system who most often develop neuroses.

Usually, in children of pre-preschool and school age, with neuroses, the function of certain internal organs, and most often the one that was weakened earlier. So, nervous vomiting, disorder digestive organs, loss of appetite occurs after suffering dysentery or dyspepsia. Those functions that have not yet become stronger are also upset: enuresis (urinary incontinence) or speech disorder appears; usually stuttering or loss of speech (which happens with severe shocks) occurs in children with a delay in the development of speech or with any other defects in it.

Prevention of nervous breakdowns in school-age children

In older preschoolers and younger schoolchildren, other symptoms of nervousness appear, for example: movement disorders are frequent - tics, obsessive movements.

The various symptoms of nervousness are never isolated. At neurotic states the whole face of the child changes. He becomes lethargic and inactive, or, on the contrary, too mobile and fussy, loses control over his behavior.

In such children, working capacity decreases, attention worsens. If the cause of the nervous condition is not eliminated, then the character of the child changes. He may remain in the future the same lethargic and lack of initiative or excitable and undisciplined.

Nervous children succumb more easily to bad influences, since they are not capable of nervous tension can't resist their own urges. However, one should not draw too gloomy conclusions from what has been said. Examination of adults treated in childhood for various manifestations of nervousness shows us that most of them are healthy, study and work successfully.

Children's psyche is flexible and viable. Under favorable conditions, children get better.

Treating a nervously ill child is a rewarding task. Even when child psychiatrists have to deal with severe neuroses, it is sometimes possible to cure a child mainly by ordinary pedagogical methods, applicable even at home.

The main method of treatment of nervously ill children is psychotherapy. This method is used by both doctors and teachers, although the latter do not call it that. One of the methods of psychotherapy is a change of scenery, the elimination of the cause that caused the disease, the influx of new joyful impressions.

Along with this, another method of psychotherapy should be applied, which in the language of psychiatrists is called “speech”. By this is meant healing by the word. The authoritative word of the educator is of great importance in the treatment of nervously ill children.

One of the effective psychotherapeutic techniques is the so-called stimulation method. With this method, the goal is to awaken in the child the desire to recover. Our ultimate goal is for the child to apply his own efforts to recovery and thereby learn to overcome life's obstacles later on. When applying this method, the word of the educator is especially significant.

The victory over the disease is experienced even by the smallest children as a victory - they become more self-confident, more cheerful.

Tantrums in a child. Brief tantrums are sometimes helpful. Tantrums take off internal stress give way to accumulated negative emotions. Therefore, perceive tantrums in a child as an age-related inevitability.

Tantrums in a child

Causes of tantrums in a child

• Attracting attention to yourself. Hysteria is the right way to achieve this. Therefore, give your baby as much time as possible. Before the arrival of guests, try to entertain the child with some interesting game for him;
• breakdown. A nervous breakdown can occur if a child really wants to do or get something, but he is deprived of it. Or if a child is forced to do what he opposes with all his heart. Therefore, adults need to defend their position on very important issues; on trifles, you can give in to the child. Let the baby put on a T-shirt that he likes, take a toy that he has chosen for a walk;
• hunger. Children may get irritated if they are hungry;
• fatigue, overexcitement. Don't expect too much from your baby. Let him rest more often during the day - this will help relieve emotional stress.
• confusion. Not allowed to do something, but not explained why. Or mom allows, and dad forbids;

What to do if the tantrum began?

1. Distract the baby. Lead to the window, look out into the street together. Suggest a walk.
2. If your baby is crying loudly, try "crying" with him. Gradually reduce the volume of your crying and switch to sniffing. The kid will most likely start copying you. Get drunk and calm down. Cuddle the baby.
3. If the baby made a roar in a crowded place, sometimes you should not rush to "evacuate". Let the baby let off steam, take his soul, then follow you.
4. Use distraction toys. Did the child frown and prepare for a tantrum? You can give him a drum or other strong musical instrument in his hands, let him break evil. And you can show some interesting little thing - to divert attention.

Prevention of nervous breakdowns and neuroses in children

The two main states of the cells of the cerebral cortex (an organ of mental activity) are excitation and inhibition. Due to the processes of excitation, those actions are performed that satisfy our needs and desires that have arisen under the influence of environment or stocks that we have, previous impressions - the so-called psychological attitudes.

Mechanisms of nervous breakdowns in children

Due to the processes of inhibition, the excessive activity of our actions is suppressed, the implementation of which would lead to an undesirable conflict with the environment, primarily the social environment.

If earlier it was believed that all mental activity is concentrated only in the cerebral cortex, then modern science testifies to the role of subcortical (located in the depths of the brain) formations. Their state largely determines the excitation and inhibition of cortical cells.

The state of the whole organism also affects the work of the cerebral cortex. Against the background of certain constitutional features of the organism, certain forms of neurotic reactions often develop. Common diseases(infectious, endocrine, hematogenous, etc.), weakening the body as a whole and the nervous system inextricably linked with it, make it more vulnerable and increase the likelihood of neurosis in case of certain “psychological” hazards, which are the main cause of neurosis.

I.P. Pavlov and his school found that a nervous breakdown (neurosis) occurs according to one of three physiological mechanisms:

• when overloading excitation processes;
• when overloading braking processes;
• at their "collision", i.e. when excitation and inhibition collide at the same time.

Most often, a breakdown occurs by the mechanism of overloading the excitation processes. When parents bring a child with some kind of nervous influence (fears, insomnia, irritability, whims, stuttering, twitching, night terrors, etc.) to a psychoneurologist, in the vast majority of cases they confidently declare that the cause is mental damage child, first of all fright. At first glance, everything is clear. The child still has a weak nervous system, and a sharp frightening impression turned out to be too strong for her. From this follow recommendations: to create a protective, sparing, devoid of any harsh impressions for such a child.

However, if we think about the mechanism of the formation of a nervous breakdown and carefully look and analyze what is happening here, a completely different picture will suddenly open before us. As the leading domestic psychoneurologists have repeatedly emphasized, neurosis in adults never arises from the strength or nature of the stimulus, but only from its, as we say, “signal meaning”, i.e. neurosis is caused not by the visual, auditory, pain and other impressions themselves, but by what is associated with them in the mind this person in his life experience. For example, the sight of a burning building can cause neurosis only if a person knows (or assumes) that someone dear to him and something valuable to him is dying in the fire.

The child does not have enough of his own life experience and judges the danger or safety of what is happening according to the reaction of adults, primarily parents and educators.

Examples:

The girl, already a schoolgirl, is terrified of mice, even in pictures. Otherwise, she is even a brave girl: she is not afraid of either dogs or cows. What's the matter? It turns out that when she was still going to kindergarten, during classes a mouse scurried in the corner and the teacher (the highest authority for the children) jumped up on the table with a screech, thereby reinforcing the unconscious perception that "there is no beast worse than a mouse."

A six-year-old boy, being in a circus at a performance with trained bears, saw a bear guiding him on a motorcycle, screamed wildly in fear and at first was completely speechless, and then stuttered for a long time. What's the matter? Why do thousands of children look with pleasure at trained bears, and he became neurotic? It turned out that when he was 2-3 years old, if he did not obey, his grandmother scared him that a bear would come, and thus the image of a bear heading towards him became a symbol of the most terrible danger.

It is interesting that in another case, a four-year-old girl, who at a circus performance was embraced by a bear escaping into the public, despite the really extreme danger, not only was not afraid, but later declared: “After all, this is a learned bear, he knows how to hug.”

There are many such examples.

Children are usually "braverer" than adults: they are not afraid to climb tall trees, make fires in the apartment, even stick your hand into the cage to the beast, and only instructions from adults, what threatens them, develops in them a fear of such actions.

Experience shows that children who developed a neurosis from some kind of “fright” had previously repeatedly experienced incomparably stronger shocks (bruises, burns, animal bites, punishments, etc.), causing them to cry for a short time, since they were not accompanied by appropriate warnings from adults about their danger. Even severe pain will not cause neurosis in either a child or an adult if they know that it is safe (no one has become neurotic from a toothache), but moderate discomfort can become the basis of a persistent neurosis if the person experiencing them believes that they are dangerous (how often a constricting sensation in the region of the heart leads to severe cardioneurosis - obsessive fear for your heart.

Even in cases where a child has real grief caused by truly tragic events (for example, the death of his mother), affection and calm explanation can gradually console the child and prevent this grief from developing into a persistent neurosis.

The younger the child, the weaker the inhibitory processes are developed in his cortex and the easier they break down when they are overloaded. This happens if the child is shouted all the time: “You can’t!”, “Stop!”, “Don’t touch!”, “Sit still!”.

The child has the right to joyful active life; he must play, and run, and even fool around. Give him more freedom and independence. It is possible and necessary to prohibit, as already mentioned, only what is absolutely unacceptable, but in this case it is necessary to prohibit firmly and unconditionally.

The disruption of the inhibitory process and the development of uncontrollability are also facilitated by frequent use punishments associated with long-term imprisonment and mobility: put in a corner, deprived of walks, etc. Imprisonment, by overloading the inhibitory process, always increases aggressiveness. That is why a chain (planted on a chain) dog is synonymous with anger.

According to the mechanism of "collision" of excitation and inhibition, neurosis can occur when the same event or act has both positive and negative reinforcement. For example, a child feels tenderness for a newborn brother and at the same time hostility towards him because he diverts the mother's attention to himself; or at the same time feels love for the father who leaves the family, and hatred for him for this. However, more often such a breakdown occurs through the fault of the parents, when today the child is punished for what yesterday went unpunished; when one of the parents allows or even encourages what the other scolds for; when at home they indulge in what they charge for in kindergarten or school.

Whichever of these three mechanisms causes a nervous breakdown in a child, it becomes fixed and turns into a persistent neurosis if it begins to bring any real or moral benefits, as we have said above.

Yesterday we started talking about nervous breakdowns in preschoolers and younger schoolchildren, and found out with you that most of the nervous breakdowns and mental problems of children are “guilty” of parental gaps in education and a bad example of their own wrong behavior. Let's talk to you further and look at some examples.

Examples of Positive and Negative Adult Influences

To illustrate the influence of adults on the formation of neuroses in children, I will give several examples that reflect the wrong and right reactions of parents and other adults involved in education.

Olga R., 7 years old, is hysterically afraid of mice, even in photographs and pictures, although on the whole she is a rather brave girl who is not afraid of either dogs or wild animals. Why such a panic at the sight of mice? The thing is that while still a pupil of a kindergarten, during classes, she witnessed the teacher's panic reaction to a mouse that scurried across the floor. The tutor was the highest authority for the child, and the girl remembered the reaction of the woman, who jumped into the chair with a squeal and a terrible scream. In the subconscious of the child, the stereotype “a mouse is a terrible beast!” was entrenched.

Nikita Sh., 6 years old, went with his mother to the circus for a performance with trained bears. When the child saw a bear that was heading towards him on a scooter, the child screamed very loudly and became speechless, and later began to stutter. Why did this happen, because many children attend such performances, but are not afraid? When clarifying the circumstances, it was found that at the age of three the child was with his grandmother for a long time in the village, who, for disobedience, frightened the child with the fact that a bear would come and drag him into the forest. The symbol of the bear was a shock factor for the child, and a breakdown occurred when he met a real bear.

Irina U., 4 years old, was walking down the street with her mother, and a neighbor's dog rushed at them. Despite the danger, the girl was not afraid, because her mother always told her that a dog is a man's best friend. She then told her mother “the dog barked and wanted to tell us something, so it ran up to us so sharply.” This is the right style of parenting, without intimidation and exaggeration. And these are not all examples of different approaches to education.

Children usually perceive danger differently and they are bolder than adults. Remember how, as a child, you were not afraid to climb tall trees, stick your hands into cages for animals, kindle fires or jump over deep ditches and ditches. The feeling of fear is formed in children based on the reactions of parents and the accumulation of their own negative experience. Leading to fear are mainly instructions from adults that it is painful, dangerous or scary. It has been shown by experience that those children who developed neuroses as a result of strong fright experienced earlier in their lives many times quite pronounced and strong shocks as a result of bruises or burns, punishments or animal bites. These responses elicited short-term crying responses in them, but were not accompanied by corresponding adult responses to danger. It is also worth knowing that even severe pain in both a child and an adult will not cause neurosis if you know that such pains are not dangerous - for example, toothache it is unpleasant, but it does not cause neuroses.

However, moderate but long-term discomfort can cause persistent neuroses if the child who experiences them believes that such manifestations are dangerous to life and health. For example, compressive or stabbing pains in the region of the heart can lead to the development of severe cardioneurosis due to fear that the heart may stop. But on the other hand, even severe emotional upheavals and grief in children, which is provoked by rather tragic events (the death of a loved one), with a tactful and affectionate approach and a calm explanation, can comfort the baby and prevent his problems from turning into neuroses. It is worth remembering that the younger the child, the less developed the processes of inhibition in the cerebral cortex will be, the easier it will be for breakdowns to occur when the nervous system is overloaded. This can happen because the child is being pulled all the time - “stop”, “this is impossible”, “sit still” or “do not touch!”.

It is worth remembering that children are restless and inquisitive, they have the right to an active and joyful life, they physically need to play, run, play pranks and jump, this is an outlet for their irrepressible energy. It is necessary to give them more independence and freedom in behavior, and it is necessary to prohibit only what is absolutely unacceptable or threatening life and health. But in this case, a strict, firm and unconditional ban is necessary. Disruptions in the inhibitory processes of the child and the development of his hyperactivity and irrepressibility can be facilitated by the frequent and unreasonable use of punishments, which are associated with a long-term restriction of their freedom of movement and mobility. These are such punishments as setting in a corner, deprivation of walks, a ban on running or jumping with sitting on a chair. When children are deprived of freedom of movement, inhibitory processes are overloaded, which leads to an increase in aggressiveness (remember: dogs on a chain are symbols of aggression).

At this age, it is a clash of processes of both excitation and inhibition. These are situations when the same act of a child or an event in his life has both positive and negative reinforcement at the same time. So, for example, a child feels for a newborn younger child both tenderness and hostility due to the fact that the baby diverts too much of the mother’s attention to taking care of himself. Or another situation - when the parents part, the child experiences both love and resentment for the departing father for leaving the family. But these are not particularly typical situations, much more often there are breakdowns due to the fault of the parents themselves and their conflicting attitude towards the child, when the child is punished on the same day for those offenses that were previously quite acceptable, or when the mother allows or even encourages to do what which the father categorically forbids. In addition, it is bad when parents indulge in whims and deeds for which a child can be punished at school or kindergarten. Whatever the mechanism of development of a nervous breakdown and neurosis in a child, it gradually becomes fixed and turns into persistent neuroses, especially if such a nervous state brings any moral or physical benefits to the child.

How to treat it, how to fight?

Unlike many other pathologies, treatment nervous disorders the child is quite effective. Even in cases of rather severe neurosis in children with whom psychiatrists work, it is quite possible to cure the child with the use of pedagogical techniques that can be applied even at home with the help of a specialist. The main method in the treatment of nervous breakdowns and neuroses are the methods of psychotherapy, which are used by both doctors and teachers and psychologists, although they never call this method. One of the most positive methods in psychotherapy is a change of scenery and elimination of the causes that caused deviations in the psyche, as well as the formation of an influx of new positive and joyful impressions. In addition, another method of psychotherapeutic influence, which experts call the speech method, can also be used. This is a treatment by verbal influences on the child and his consciousness. At the same time, the authoritative words of educators in children are especially great importance in the treatment of nervous disorders.

One of the methods used in psychotherapy is the stimulation technique, in which the main goal is to awaken in the child the desire to quickly and completely recover. And in the end, it is necessary to make sure that the child himself applies his own strength to the process of recovery, so he will also learn to overcome obstacles in the future. life path. In this method, the word of educators and doctors, as authorities for the baby, will be especially significant. At the same time, even small victories in the fight against the disease will become a huge incentive for the child to move on, they will give self-confidence and cheerfulness. It is important for parents to support and encourage the child in every possible way, to tell him how good he is and how well he copes with everything, and also to agree on a single style of education so that distortions do not occur in the future.

It is generally accepted that nervous breakdowns- a negative phenomenon and causing anxiety for the state of the nervous system. Neurosis in children causes even more anxiety in their parents, because it is hard to imagine what the next tantrum of a child will actually turn into. Partly a nervous breakdown has its own positive sides: Exit in progress negative emotions that have been accumulating for a long time, and psychological relief comes.

A nervous breakdown in a child resembles crying in its effect - when a person cries, he splashes out all the experiences and accumulated resentments, after which he becomes easier and calmer. This is a kind of way out of a stressful situation.

The nervous system of children is very unstable and is formed for quite a long time, so babies usually endure stress and anxiety more difficult than adults. Nervous breakdowns in them can occur quite often and manifest themselves in the form of crying, tantrums.

The symptoms of neurosis in children are almost the same as in adults: a sharp change in mood, irritability, and a difficult psychological state.

Signs of the development of neurosis in a child are:

— constant feeling fatigue and weakness;

- vulnerability and sensitivity - the child thinks that he is being treated badly, that those around him are harming him;

- touchiness and tearfulness;

- irritability - any request or advice from others causes aggression or resentment;

- the child's sleep pattern is disturbed, there are problems with digestion.

If you notice that the child has one of these symptoms, and after crying or a surge of emotions, he feels better, then you should not panic. But if your child regularly has nervous breakdowns, is this an occasion to think about the reasons for this and analyze whether you are doing everything right?

The main reasons for the development of neurosis in children are the mistakes in education that their parents make. It often happens that it is conflicts in the family that provoke nervous breakdowns in children. If you do not pay due attention to the problem in time, then later it can develop into serious psychological or even mental illness.

Neurosis does not arise by itself. It is always the result of stress, severe psychological situation, fright, when a child is forced to do something by force. Constant pressure from parents, too strict attitude of adults can provoke constant psychological stress. The lack of a parenting strategy and unity, when one allows everything, and the other forbids it, “knocks down the landmarks” of the child, and in one way or another he will not live up to the expectations of one of the parents.

Fright of the baby or lack of parental support in difficult situation can cause a nervous breakdown.

As a treatment, patients are first advised to consult a psychologist. Many parents are hesitant to take their child to a specialist, afraid to admit that there is a problem. Such a position can only harm the child and aggravate the condition. There is nothing wrong with the fact that the doctor will help you and your baby understand the causes of a nervous breakdown and tell you how to behave so that the situation does not happen again. Sometimes a child may need the help of a psychotherapist.

Nervous disorders in children modern world occur more and more frequently. This is due to various factors: the heavy workload that children receive in educational institutions, the lack of relationship with parents who are busy at work, the high standards set by society. It is important to recognize the warning signs in time and start working with the child. Otherwise, it can lead to serious mental problems in the future.

Nervous diseases can manifest at any age, but the increased risk occurs during periods of age-related crises:

• 3-4 years;
• 6-7 years;
• 13-18 years old.

At a younger age, the child is not always able to tell what worries him. During this period, parents should be alerted by such uncharacteristic signs as:

• Frequent whims and a state of irritability;
• Fast fatiguability;
• Increased emotionality and vulnerability;
• Stubbornness and protests;
• Feeling of constant tension and discomfort;
• Closure.

The child may begin to experience speech difficulties, even if he had a good vocabulary before this time. He may also begin to show interest in a certain direction: play with only one toy, read only one book, draw the same figures. Moreover, his games become a real reality for him, so parents can notice how much the child is passionate about at this time. He can fantasize a lot and really believe in his fantasies. With such symptoms, it is recommended to undergo a psychological diagnosis with a child psychologist, it will be especially important to do this a year before school.

When a child attends school, he may additionally show signs such as:

• Decreased appetite;
• Sleep disturbance;
• dizziness;
• Frequent fatigue.

It is difficult for a child to concentrate and carry out mental activity to the fullest.

Symptoms of a nervous breakdown in adolescent children are the most serious. An unstable psyche during this period leads to the fact that they may experience:

• Impulsiveness. Even little things can piss them off;
• Feeling of constant anxiety and fear;
• Fear of surrounding people;
• Self-hatred. It is not uncommon for teenagers to dislike their own appearance;
• Frequent insomnia;
• hallucinations.

Of the physiological manifestations, severe headaches, disturbed pressure, signs of asthma, and so on can be noted. The worst thing is that in the absence of timely treatment, a disturbed psyche can cause suicidal thoughts.

Neuropsychiatric disorders in children can have various roots. In some cases, there is a genetic predisposition to this, but not always.

Disorder can be provoked by:

• Diseases of the child, leading to dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system;
• Diseases of the child that affect the brain;
• Maternal illnesses during pregnancy;
• The emotional state of the mother during pregnancy;
• Problems in the family: conflicts between parents, divorce;
• Too much demands on the child in the process of education.

The last reason may seem controversial, because education is an integral part of the formation of a child. In this case, it is important that the requirements of the parents are adequate and implemented in moderation. When parents ask too much from a child, try to find in him a reflection of their unrealized potential and, moreover, put pressure on him, setting too high standards, the result only gets worse. The baby experiences depression, which directly leads to the development of disorders in the nervous system.

Highly an important factor, which can cause mental problems in a child, is the discrepancy between the emotional temperament of him and his mother. This can be expressed both in a lack of attention and in its overabundance. Sometimes a woman may note the absence of an emotional connection with a child, she takes all the necessary steps to care for him: feeds, bathes, puts him to bed, but does not want to hug him or smile at him once again. But the excessive guardianship of parents in relation to the child is not the best option, it also carries the risk of forming an unstable neuropsychic state of the child.

The presence of a phobia can also tell parents about possible problems mental state of the child.

Types of neurosis in childhood

Neurosis in a child, as in an adult, is divided into several types depending on the symptoms present. Nervous system disorders in children can take the following forms:

• Nervous tic. It occurs quite often and is expressed as involuntary movements parts of the body: cheeks, eyelid, shoulder, hand. The child cannot control them, while they occur during the period of his exciting or stressful state. Nervous tick disappears when the child is very passionate about something;
• Stuttering. A small patient begins to experience difficulty with speech due to spasms of the muscles responsible for this activity. Stuttering is especially intensified during a period of excitement or in the presence of an external stimulus;
• Asthenic neurosis. The reason for this type of disease is a large amount of stress that falls on the psyche of the child. As a result, he may suffer from frequent and abrupt mood swings, increased irritability and moodiness, lack of appetite and feelings of nausea;
• Obsessive neurosis. It can be expressed both in constantly arising thoughts of an alarming or frightening nature, and in frequently repeated movements. The child can shake, turn his head, move his arms, scratch his head.
• Anxiety neurosis. Children only get to know the world around them, so some things can scare them, sometimes developing a real phobia in them. Most often, fears lie in the dark, loud sounds, height, strangers;
• Sleep neurosis. The child has difficulty falling asleep and often suffers from nightmares. All this leads to the fact that the baby does not get enough sleep and constantly feels tired;
• Hysteria. It occurs against the backdrop of any emotional experience. The child cannot cope with his feelings and tries to attract the attention of others by crying loudly, lying on the floor, scattering objects;
• Enuresis. In this case, neurosis is expressed in urinary incontinence. But it is important to take into account that this phenomenon, before the child reaches 4-5 years of age, may not be informative in the diagnosis of mental disorders;
• Eating behavior. Children often express increased selectivity in eating. But if this sign appeared unexpectedly, then you should pay attention to it. Perhaps he was preceded by a violation in the psyche of the child. Excessive food intake can also speak of more than just risk excess weight but also about the presence of neurosis;
• Nervous allergy. It is characterized by the fact that it is very difficult to determine the source of the reaction of the body.

Depending on the condition of the child, he may experience signs of several types of neurosis at once, for example, sleep disturbance and obsessive thoughts.

Who to contact

When signs of psychological and nervous disorders in a child, parents should seek medical attention. First of all, it is worth visiting a neurologist. It is he who will be able to determine what the reason lies in the changed behavior of the child and whether there is a need for drug therapy.

The next step is to visit a psychotherapist. In some cases, parents will also need to consult, because it is not uncommon for children's neuralgic disorders to become tense relationships between them. In this case, a family psychologist who will work with all family members at the same time can help deal with the problem.

Treatment

Treatment in each case is selected individually. It may include measures of one or several directions at once: taking medications, psychological assistance, additional procedures.

Preparations

Children are not always treated with drug therapy. The physician must, on the basis of the results of the diagnosis, determine whether medicines. If the child really needs them, then the reception can be shown to him:

• sedatives. Most of them are of plant origin, so they do not harm the child's body. Their action is to reduce the emotional stress of the child. They also contribute to the normalization of sleep;
• Drugs that improve blood circulation in the brain. Such drugs favorably affect the condition of the vessels, expanding and providing their nutrition;
• Antipsychotic medications. Necessary to rid the child of obsessive fears and increased anxiety;
• Tranquilizers. They also belong to the group of sedative drugs, but have a more pronounced effect. Eliminate emotional tension, have a relaxing effect. Sleep, as a rule, becomes deeper and stronger;
• calcium complexes. They make up for the lack of this element in the child's body, which has a positive effect on the state of his nervous system and brain function.

What kind of drug the child needs, and in what dosage, is determined only by the attending physician. Otherwise, the condition may worsen side effects from taking medication.

Family Psychotherapy

visit child psychologist forms the basis of the treatment of most nervous disorders in a child. At the reception, the specialist tries to find out from the patient what exactly worries him, scares or makes him nervous. In this case, the psychologist must establish the most trusting contact with the child. If necessary, work is also carried out with parents.

In addition to working with the inner world of the child, it is important to create conditions for his life. He must have a normalized daily routine, good sleep for at least 8 hours a day, healthy eating, as well as a balanced amount of work and rest.

ethnoscience

Everybody folk remedies, aimed at eliminating signs of a nervous breakdown in a child, consist in taking herbal remedies that have a sedative effect. The most popular methods are:

• Motherwort tincture. Dry grass is brewed with boiling water and filtered through gauze. Take this remedy 1-2 teaspoon 3 times a day. Not recommended for children under 7;
• Valerian tincture. In this case, the crushed root of the plant is poured with boiling water. Strained means drink 1 teaspoon 3-4 times a day;
• Chamomile decoction. Dry flowers are brewed with boiling water, and then infused for 3 hours. This decoction can be drunk even for babies. In the presence of neurological disorders, the child is recommended to drink up to 150 ml per day.

It is important to note that herbs can cause allergic reactions, so you should first make sure that there is no intolerance to them by the child.

Prevention

Prevention of nervous disorders is important not only for children who have already encountered this problem. Each parent should be aware that the child's psyche is not as developed as that of an adult, therefore, it is subject to various destabilizing factors.

In order to prevent the occurrence of neurological disorders in a child, it is important to observe the following measures:

• Listen to his emotions. It is important not to miss the moment when he needs support or simple attention;
• Assess the emotional potential of the child. A lot of attention - not always the best solution. Children should also have their own space;
• Talk to him. Do not be afraid to tell your child about your feelings and thoughts. And, of course, it is important to teach him to give feedback;
• Build trust. The child must know that the parents are always ready to listen to him and accept him, even if he has made a mistake;
• To create conditions for the disclosure of its potential. If a child has a craving for drawing, then you should not forbid him to do this business, motivating him that, for example, sports are a more interesting activity.

In general, parents just have to learn to love and understand their child, no matter how old he is, 1 year old or 18. If this is difficult to do on your own, then you can seek help from psychological books, seminars or directly to specialists in this field.