Behavior Disorder: Signs To Tell If Your Child Has It

Children sometimes misbehave or act rebelliously. Children usually exhibit different kinds of behaviors during stress or changes in family scenarios such as a divorce, death or birth. But what if it isn’t any of these?

Be informed that behavior disorders can be a thing of concern which can last for a longer period of time. Behavior disorders can take a pattern of disruptive or aggressive actions which lasts for a period of more than 6 months. Sometimes, they can also exhibit behaviors that aren’t age-appropriate.

Parents and family members can be the first ones to notice when a child can exhibit problems with his/her behavior or emotions.

Watch out for the following signs of behavior disorder your child might have:

• Drastic changes in personality or behavior
• Throwing tantrums more frequently
• Having outbursts every now and then
• Acting to be sad or showing withdrawal symptoms for more than a couple of weeks
• Lying about simple things
• Stealing things outside the home
• Being destructive- breaking or damaging things in and around home
• Bad school performances and skipping classes at school
• Worrying intensively, feeling depressed
• Having unwanted fears which can affect normal life
• Early drinking, smoking, substance abuse or sexual activity
• Consistently being hostile towards authority figures
• Easily getting annoyed
• Feeling nervous
• Showing anger frequently
• Refusing to follow rules and refuses to obey authoritative figures, both at home and school
• Constantly arguing
• Difficulty in handling frustration
• Behaving inappropriately under normal circumstances
• Feeling anxious about personal or school matters
• Blaming others

If you find your child exhibiting any of the above-mentioned symptoms, watch them carefully and get him/her evaluated to find out if it is a sign of childhood behavior disorder. Experts recommend that these behavior changes should be monitored in order to treat them properly. Mental health professionals and treatment centers can evaluate your child to find out if he/she has a behavior disorder. Early intervention methods and certain drugs can help modify behavior in children suffering from behavior disorders. Though these drugs cannot cure the condition, they can help treat and control such behaviors effectively.