When does a child need a psychological examination?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was consulted with Dr. Le Thu Phuong - Pediatrician - Neonatologist - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.
If a child's psychological problems are detected early, it can help limit future problems, but many parents do not understand exactly when to take their child to a psychologist.

1. Psychological problems children often have

There are two main problems in child psychology that often include:
Problems related to child development: A child with normal development must achieve milestones such as gross motor, fine motor, language , awareness, independence...corresponding to the biological age of the child. Another issue that has received little attention but plays a very important role in a child's development is the interaction, communication with people around, social interaction... If the child has abnormal problems Usually in the above two problems, the child may have encountered a certain psychological problem. Some psychological problems in the child's development period such as:
Speech delay : For the cases of children who do not babble at 12 months, 16 months can't say single words, can't say words sometimes 24 months old...For children with speech delay, it can be caused by many causes such as children not receiving enough stimulation from the outside environment, children having problems with hearing ability, children with comprehensive mental retardation or young children. have autism. Stuttering: A condition that affects the rhythm and coherence of speech. Although children know what they want to say, they cannot speak fluently. Lisp: Children mispronounce a word when speaking, for example, say flowers to ha, pictures to be... Autism: Children show signs of delay in speaking or can speak but cannot speak again, pronounce words meaningless; reduced social interaction when it was found that children did not know how to point by 12 months, had little eye contact, few communication gestures, only liked to do as they wanted, played alone and did not know how to share; Behavioral abnormalities such as walking on tiptoe, spinning, looking at hands... These behavioral habits are always repetitive, the child always does things in the same order... Anxiety disorders - depression Depression: There are many reasons that lead to children showing signs of anxiety or depression, this problem is common in children over 5 years old. Children may show little talk, sleep disturbances, children always feel anxious and fearful, poor concentration, irritable, easily irritated... For these cases, the most severe is the behavior of children. want to commit suicide, is the case of children with severe depression.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): The manifestation of this condition is the child's increased movement, but the inability to pay attention to external stimuli. For example, hyperactive children often run and jump, do not sit still, do not sit still in class or leave their positions without consent... Children with reduced attention may have difficulty maintaining their position in the classroom. activities, easily distracted by external stimuli, forgetting daily activities...

2. When should you take your child to a psychiatrist?

The psychological disorders of children today are due to many factors, so the incidence is increasing, but access to and treatment is still limited. To detect the child's psychological problems, parents need to listen and observe the child, spend time caring for and interacting with the child. Psychological examination for children as soon as they see signs such as:
The child does not respond when receiving stimuli from the environment, slows in language development (no babbling at 12 months old, unable to speak single words when 16 months old). by the age of 24 months or may not say double words and the child says less than 15 single words by 24 months of age...). Children with delayed motor development: Children cannot walk when they are 18 months old, if they do not reach or slow down the milestones of motor development, it will affect the child's ability to walk. Children can not focus on doing one thing, are often distracted when working and studying, easily affected by external stimuli. Children move incessantly, move or do inappropriate things. Reduced ability to socialize: Less communication with people around, often playing alone, like to be aggressive with friends... Major psychological events affecting children such as moving house, changing environment life, loss, bereavement...Children need the care of family members or psychologists, otherwise it will have a significant impact on the child's psyche.

Children with changes in activities, speech and emotions show many negative factors, often screaming, fear, anxiety, sadness, locking themselves in the room, decreased interest in previous activities Here children like, sleep disorders... Especially after the psychological changes, seeing the children appear the above signs, it is necessary to take the child to the doctor soon. It is very likely that children have problems with stress, anxiety, stress, depression ... Children's psychological problems are better if detected early, family attention and supportive treatment. treatment from experts. So, if the child has such psychological abnormalities, they should take the child to a medical facility for psychological examination.
See more: New updates in the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders in children

3. Where should children be psychologically examined?

Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital is building a Pediatric Psychology Clinic with the goal of enhancing mental health care for children. Psychologists at the clinic are responsible for assessing, guiding, supporting and intervening in cases of children with mental health problems.
The main functions of the clinic include:
Assessing cases of children with delayed speech, stuttering, unclear words, suspected cases of children with autism through screening and diagnostic tools. Assessment of psychomotor development and assessment of intelligence for children from 6 months to 16 years of age through tools BAYLEY, YCAT, WISC-IV Assessment and psychotherapeutic interventions for children experiencing learning difficulties, children experiencing psychological trauma (divorce of parents, bereavement of loved ones, abused children, sexually abused children, etc.), depression, anxiety, phobias, children having an eating disorder, the child has physical problems that cannot be explained by medicine (abdominal pain, chest pain, headache with no known cause). After assessing the child's psychological status, treatment interventions are carried out in accordance with each age, disease condition and need to help the child integrate into society, guide family members on how to care for children with disabilities. psychological problem. Pediatric Psychology Clinic with security and sympathy criteria on top. Families and children can rest assured that the experts at the clinic keep information related to the child and the child's family private.
The impact from the outside environment appropriately helps children overcome psychological obstacles, the sooner the intervention, the better the child's ability to recover. So don't be afraid to take your child to a psychologist when there are unusual problems occurring in the child.

Children in the period from 6 months to 3 years old are very prone to problems with the respiratory system, respiratory infections, skin diseases and gastrointestinal infections, psychological ... parents need special care. special attention to the care and provision of adequate nutrition for children. With a system of facilities, modern medical equipment, sterile space, minimizing the impact as well as the risk of disease spread, Vinmec will bring satisfaction to customers and receive expert advice from experts. Highly appreciated by experts in the industry with:
Gathering a team of leading pediatricians: including leading experts with high professional qualifications (professor, associate professor, doctorate, master), experienced, worked at big hospitals like Bach Mai, 108.. The doctors are all well-trained, professional, have a heart - reach, understand young psychology. In addition to domestic pediatric specialists, the Department of Pediatrics also has the participation of foreign experts (Japan, Singapore, Australia, USA) who are always pioneers in applying the latest and most effective treatment regimens. . Comprehensive services: In the field of Pediatrics, Vinmec provides a series of continuous medical examination and treatment services from Newborn to Pediatric and Vaccine,... according to international standards to help parents take care of their baby's health from birth to childhood. Advanced techniques: Vinmec has successfully deployed many specialized techniques to make the treatment of difficult diseases in pediatrics more effective: neurosurgery - skull, stem cell transplant blood in cancer treatment. Professional care: In addition to understanding children's psychology, Vinmec also pays special attention to the children's play space, helping them to have fun and get used to the hospital's environment, cooperate in treatment, improve the efficiency of medical treatment.

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