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Four Signs That Your Child's Mental Well-being Is At Risk
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Every child goes through ups and downs, but sometimes these signals point to something deeper. Knowing what to look out for can help you step in early. Here are four signs that may suggest your child is struggling with their mental well-being.
1. Changes in Personality or Emotions
- Feelings of Hopelessness: Your child may express sadness, worthlessness, or a lack of motivation or enthusiasm, increased self-doubt or negative self-talk.
- Mood swings: Your child may have noticeable shifts in mood, such as increased irritability, frustration, sadness, or anxiety or feeling overwhelmed easily.
2. Changes in Lifestyle and Habits
- Trouble sleeping: Your child may face difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, oversleeping or have frequent nightmares. If your child shows excessive tiredness during the day, it could be a sign too.
- Increased Isolation: Your child may withdraw from their usual lifestyle or family activities, prefer to spend time alone, or show disinterest in socialising with friends.
3. Changes in Communication Patterns
- Secretive Behaviour: Your child may become defensive or evasive when asked about their online activities, such as hiding their devices or abruptly deleting their social media accounts.
- Sudden withdrawal: Your child may abruptly pull back from their family, friends and activities they usually enjoy, preferring to spend long hours alone.
- Concerning Posts or Captions: Your child may change their social media posting habits, for example, sharing content that hints at distress, hopelessness or self-blame, posting at odd hours or even deactivating accounts or deleting their posts.
4. Changes in Academic Performance
- Drop in Academic Performance: A sudden drop in grades or a lack of interest in schoolwork may signal that your child is struggling.
- Lack of interest in schoolwork: Disinterest in schoolwork or avoidance of studying may also be a sign of distress. Your child may complain about school or show reluctance to attend.
Recognising these signs is the first step. Support your child’s overall mental well-being by engaging your child, listening without judgement, checking in frequently, and seek professional help if needed. If your child’s concerns persist or worsen, reach out to relevant partners like a counsellor or their school to discuss further.