Children and teens: Health24: Psychology

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Children and teens

Depression, anxiety and most other psychiatric disorders also affect children. But it is often difficult to establish whether a child is suffering because the disorders can manifest themselves differently. How would you know if a child is experiencing problems? And what can you do to help?

Bipolar Disorder

People may think small kids don't generally get as sick as grown-ups. But new research shows that when bipolar disorder, or manic depression, is involved, the exact opposite is true.

Failure to diagnose ADHD

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most frequently diagnosed psychiatric disorders in children. Although treatment is available, the rate of effective diagnosis and treatment remains suboptimal.

Stress: help your child cope

They don't have to deal with grueling commutes, bad bosses or endless streams of bills, but our kids are taking strain, experts say.

Is your child depressed?

Does depression manifest differently in children? What should parents look out for?

Don't let Santa lose his magic

Will your child go to bed tonight believing that a jolly, fat man in red and white will visit? That's good, some psychologists reckon.

Alert on ADHD drug

The US Food and Drug Administration warned that the drug Strattera, which is used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, may prompt suicidal thoughts in children.

Trauma of cave kid

A cave, a kidnapped teen and a sexual predator. Can she deal with the trauma? Health24 interviewed the experts.

Autistics better at problem-solving

Autistics are up to 40 percent faster at problem-solving than non-autistics, according to a new Université de Montréal and Harvard University study.

Attention Disorder

Although most people perceive attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to be only a problem in kids, some experts in behaviour claim that a surprising number of affected people carry at least some of those symptoms into adulthood.

Divorce: how it affects your child

Two out of every three marriages in South Africa end in divorce which means that an increasing number of children are growing up in so-called "broken homes".

Social phobia in children

While social phobia typically has its onset in childhood, intense fears appear in most children as a normal part of growing up.

What makes Tourette's tick?

Mild tics are quite common in children and usually resolve spontaneously. However, in some people, tics become chronic and interfere with daily life.

ADHD and Ritalin:the latest facts

What does the little dreamer staring out of the classroom window have in common with the wild boy forever disrupting the class with his hyperactive and energetic behaviour?

Children and trauma

How do children react when exposed to traumatic events? And how can you help?

Helping teens who self-harm

Do you know a teenager who self-mutilates? You might want to help, but the question is how.

Kids may be hardwired to share

Humans are selfish in earliest childhood but by the age of seven are keen to share equally, a change so sudden that it can only be explained, at least in part, by genes.

Cyberbullies: is your child safe?

Social networking sites like Facebook have brought bullying from the playground into the home. A child’s sense of safety and acceptance can now be threatened by a few keystrokes.