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Child Started Behaving Strangely. Should I Consult A Psychiatrist?
Question: TMy son is 7 years old. He is very smart and intelligent, but shows some abnormal behaviour at school. He irritates other children and sometimes even the teachers. So when my wife goes to school to pick him up many children surround her complaining about my son. This even frustrates my wife. Would like to know whether my son needs to be taken to a psychiatrist for consultation since we do not know the reason for such behaiour.
Hello XXXXXXX
Welcome to health care magic and thanks for your query.
I appreciate your concern regarding your son’s behavior. As a psychiatrist, I can easily empathize with you.
First of all, relax and don’t worry.
The points of concern are-
1) Abnormal behaviour at school
2) Irritates other children and sometimes even the teachers
3) Other children complaining about him.
As per your details, your son might be suffering from “Attention deficit Hyperactive disorder” (ADHD). ADHD is a behavioral and neurocognitive condition characterized by developmentally inappropriate and impairing levels of gross motor over activity, inattention, and impulsivity with onset before age 7 years (Age of your son is 7 years).
Its main causes are genetic (If a parent has ADHD, 50 percent of his or her offspring are likely to have that condition) and neurochemical (dopamine, noradrenaline, serotonin etc). It is more common in males.
Main features are
1) Hyperactivity- e.g. often squirms in seat, talks excessively, runs about driven by a motor, leaves seat in classroom etc.
2) Inattention- e.g. fails to give attention, difficulty sustaining attention, does not follow instructions etc
3) Impulsivity- e.g. interrupts other, difficulty awaiting turn etc
In case your son is having the above kind of symptoms, it might be likely that he is having ADHD.
Do not worry as various kinds of treatment modalities are available these days which when timely implemented controls the behavior effectively.
Choices of treatment are
1) Stimulant drugs like amphetamines and methylphenidate. These drugs have side effects also. So these should be started in close work up with a psychiatrist only.
2) Non stimulant drugs like Atomoxetine, TCAs etc
3) Psychosocial treatments like psycho-education, parent training, behavior modification, cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT), social skills training, and individual therapy.
There are also certain associated conditions like tic disorder, anxiety disorder, conduct disorder, aggression, oppositional defiant disorder etc. Sometimes in children younger than 6 years, it is difficult to distinguish age appropriate overactivity.
For appropriate diagnosis and management, psychiatric consultation is definitely required and do consult as soon as possible as these conditions, if not addressed timely can persist into adolescence and adulthood.
Wish you Good Luck.
Hope I have answered your query. If you have any further questions, I will be happy to help.
If you do not have any clarifications, you can close the discussion, rate the answer and leave a review.
Regards
Dr. Gourav Monga
Consultant Psychiatrist
Welcome to health care magic and thanks for your query.
I appreciate your concern regarding your son’s behavior. As a psychiatrist, I can easily empathize with you.
First of all, relax and don’t worry.
The points of concern are-
1) Abnormal behaviour at school
2) Irritates other children and sometimes even the teachers
3) Other children complaining about him.
As per your details, your son might be suffering from “Attention deficit Hyperactive disorder” (ADHD). ADHD is a behavioral and neurocognitive condition characterized by developmentally inappropriate and impairing levels of gross motor over activity, inattention, and impulsivity with onset before age 7 years (Age of your son is 7 years).
Its main causes are genetic (If a parent has ADHD, 50 percent of his or her offspring are likely to have that condition) and neurochemical (dopamine, noradrenaline, serotonin etc). It is more common in males.
Main features are
1) Hyperactivity- e.g. often squirms in seat, talks excessively, runs about driven by a motor, leaves seat in classroom etc.
2) Inattention- e.g. fails to give attention, difficulty sustaining attention, does not follow instructions etc
3) Impulsivity- e.g. interrupts other, difficulty awaiting turn etc
In case your son is having the above kind of symptoms, it might be likely that he is having ADHD.
Do not worry as various kinds of treatment modalities are available these days which when timely implemented controls the behavior effectively.
Choices of treatment are
1) Stimulant drugs like amphetamines and methylphenidate. These drugs have side effects also. So these should be started in close work up with a psychiatrist only.
2) Non stimulant drugs like Atomoxetine, TCAs etc
3) Psychosocial treatments like psycho-education, parent training, behavior modification, cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT), social skills training, and individual therapy.
There are also certain associated conditions like tic disorder, anxiety disorder, conduct disorder, aggression, oppositional defiant disorder etc. Sometimes in children younger than 6 years, it is difficult to distinguish age appropriate overactivity.
For appropriate diagnosis and management, psychiatric consultation is definitely required and do consult as soon as possible as these conditions, if not addressed timely can persist into adolescence and adulthood.
Wish you Good Luck.
Hope I have answered your query. If you have any further questions, I will be happy to help.
If you do not have any clarifications, you can close the discussion, rate the answer and leave a review.
Regards
Dr. Gourav Monga
Consultant Psychiatrist
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Shanthi.E
Thank you for the detailed response. Could you please suggest a Psychiatric consultant in Bangalore who can help me by providing proper treatment for my child's behaviour.
Welcome XXXXXXX
I do not have much information about a specific one in bangalore. However, you can search on the health care magic website as there is a detailed list of doctors, speciality and location wise & choose according to the reviews given to them.
If you have any further questions, I will be happy to help.
If you do not have any clarifications, you can close the discussion, rate the answer and leave a review.
I do not have much information about a specific one in bangalore. However, you can search on the health care magic website as there is a detailed list of doctors, speciality and location wise & choose according to the reviews given to them.
If you have any further questions, I will be happy to help.
If you do not have any clarifications, you can close the discussion, rate the answer and leave a review.
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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