Child obesity and depression are not alien with each other. In fact the two, more often than not, always go to together. When there is child obesity there is a possible presence of depression. When depression is prevalent, most likely obesity is expected to be present too. Child obesity and depression are two of the most debilitating health problems that have affected more children than before.

 

The number of children suffering from the ill effects of obesity is increasing which is conversely proportional to the rising number of children suffering from depression. Though it has not been established that the main cause of depression is obesity likewise the sole contributing factor of obesity is depression is yet to be proven, but the link between child obesity and depression is so clear that its needs immediate attention.

 

"Obesity among children can be traumatic", says Dr. Sharmistha Barai . It causes social stigma, which makes children withdrew from socializing with their peers. Children may develop a poor self-image of them and continue to harbor thoughts of not being liked at all. Because society views obesity as something negative and unwanted, obese children are incapacitated to interact with children their age. They tend to shy away from children’s group activities. Their ability to think creatively is hampered, thus they become too dependent. They prefer staying at home than spending time with their friends. These scenarios may already be early signs of depression. Any indication of depression among children is alarming, which must be corrected right away.

 

Depression regardless of its cause can also be a cause of obesity. Children suffering from depression stay at home more often. Since they have difficulty relating with other children they prefer to stay at home and watch television instead. They become couch potato. They have the tendency to eat more than what is being required of them. If this continues these children will gain weight above the ideal weight for their age. Overtime, these children become obese. They have less time engaging in physical activities too, which could aggravate their weight problem.

 

Child obesity and depression seemed to be inseparable. Regardless of which comes first obesity and depression should not be taken for granted. Statistics from health organizations show that today more children are suffering from depression and obesity or both.

 

Programs that are geared towards improving the lives of children should be implemented. Quality living should not be deprived from them because it is their right too. Child obesity and depression has to be stopped.

 

If you need any help, you can consult with Sharmistha Barai . Dr. Barai, a leading Child & Adolescent psychiatrist based in Saint Louis, Missouri can help you or anyone you know dealing with depression to find effective, medically-proven techniques to deal with the disease and other disorders.

To read more, visit here: http://sharmisthabarai.eklablog.com/

 

"Depression is the inability to construct a future." Teenagers find it very difficult to face depression. Energy level and enthusiasm is lost in this period, so teenagers build an irritable nature and become short tempered. Mostly when parents notice the hostile behavior of a child, they neglect it as normal rebelling. This may aggravate the seriousness of depression. If this nature continues for more than two or three weeks, you have to visit your psychiatrist.

It is observed that in the most cases of teenage suicide that parents, teachers and friends do not realize that the child is depressed. The changes in behavior are treated in the worst possible way, like scolding of parents, separation from friends' circle and punishment from teachers. So, such teens become hopeless and develop serious clinical depression, which may end in suicide.

This article will help you to know some basic behavioral patterns of depression in teenagers. It will help you to diagnose the disease in an early stage.

First of all, you have to develop a habit of observing your ward's behavior. It will help you to notice the sudden change of behavior. If your child is becoming more aggressive, short tempered, lonely, hopeless, pathetic or sad, then try to know the reason behind it.

Basically, it is a mental illness. It disturbs health, mental peace and thought process too. So, such patients need care, patience and affection, to come out of this state of mind. Extreme change in habits may occur due to the mental uneasiness. Some patients develop desire for food and some may loose their appetite. So, these behavioral changes may help you to diagnose the disease at an early stage. Even sleeping hours may change to an extreme. Sleepless nights or fatigue even after having slept well, are symptoms of depression.

Teenager depression and childhood depression is difficult to diagnose because these patients need caretakers to take them for right treatment and medical observation. First of all, believe that it is very natural being depressed in childhood and teenage, as the competition and stressful life has affected the simplicity of life. So, it is not a very serious and permanent disease.

The causes of childhood depression and teenage depression are as follows: stressful life, burden of study, fear, family crisis, child labor, unbearable expectations of parents, shock of loosing someone very close and such other stresses.

If you find your child is behaving in above described manners, you have to observe him or her for two weeks because the short depression can be there due to exams, workload etc. So, you can soothe your child by talking to him, helping him to sort out problems, consulting teachers and schoolmates etc. meditation, playing on ground with your child, going for a picnic to burst the tension may help you to save your child from the seriousness of this disease.

If the symptoms are seen continuously for more than two weeks, then you have to consult a psychiatrist. There are some depression pills available which can decrease the side effects of depression, but only a psychiatrist can prescribe these. It is necessary to inform teachers and friends about the disease as their help and co-operation is very important to get well soon.

So, treat your ward with care and affection to help him come out from this disease. Wish you best of luck to fight against depression. Spread this information to help others to save their childhood.

For more details you can consult with Sharmistha Barai . Dr. Barai, a leading Child & Adolescent psychiatrist based in Saint Louis, Missouri can help you or anyone you know dealing with depression to find effective, medically-proven techniques to deal with the disease and other disorders. She specializes in general psycho-geriatrics, child and adolescent psychiatry, drug and alcohol.

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Getting parenting tips from the experts can really help when you are facing some family confrontation which involves your child or teen. In the latter case, it may be wise to seek the help of a qualified professional as solving the problem yourself may be risky, from all points of view. Very often though we can face a less serious crisis just by getting advice from other parents who have had similar problems

 

One thing that struck me was that many parents try to defend their children from situations which are painful. Jerry White who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for his work on banning landmines, talks about what his parents did when he was eleven. He was told to go and offer condolences to his best friend who had lost her father. Now many parents would prefer to protect their children from such situations but he disagrees because he says it is like building up a sort of immunity and that our children need to be exposed to all sorts of situations, both happy and sad. He says that this is one of the best parenting tips from his own parents that he has used with his own kids.

 

How do we teach our kid about the importance of respect for other people and also for the environment in which we live? We should be setting good examples of how to recycle, save energy and make choices such as walking to save fuel and also to pollute the environment much less. Again, we as parents have to be role models. Respect for the environment also helps to instil respect for other people, animals and everything we come into contact with.

 

As regards typical teen problems such as the inability to get up at a decent hour, we need to understand the biological reasons for this and act accordingly. Researchers at Brasenose College at Oxford believe that kids and teens from the age of ten to twenty need to stay in bed longer. The reasons are that their body clocks are running two hours behind the rest of us. It could be due to hormonal reasons. In any case, it also explains why teenagers seem to perform better in the afternoon. Many so called experts giving parenting tips from their ivory towers should keep this in mind but they rarely do.

 

As regards the problem of texting, we should bear in mind that those tens who send more than 120 texts a day are much more likely to smoke, drink and try early sex. The estimates say that this could be as much as 40% more. We should be able to develop ways to stop this text addiction and there are special programs available now for this.

 

These then are just a few of the parenting tips from the experts. You may want to get more help by asking a consultant child psychiatrist how to solve other problems in bringing up your kids.

 

If you think that parenting tips from the experts are hard to come by and you do not know where to start, start here! Learn some tricks of the trade and parenting techniques from Dr. Sharmistha Barai, a child psychiatrist consultant who will guide you on raising some great kids. Sharmistha Barai has written on parenting issues and ADHD for many years.

Read also:  Panic Vs Anxiety Attack Know the Difference by Dr. Sharmistha Barai

They say that every generation seems to be more complex as it goes by. Kids of today will not be certainly the kids of tomorrow. One generation differs from one another as one grows old and the other is born. Because of this, kids' behavioral pattern varies.

 

An example of this is the well-known behavioral condition in children in which they are experiencing hyper activity and restlessness. This disorder is also known as ADHD or the attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder.

 

This disorder is responsible for a child's hyperactivity and liveliness. These cases can be managed by consulting a professional child psychiatrists like Sharmistha Barai MD . On the other hand, this condition may be used otherwise. If only the parents can direct the attention of their children to other things to make them productive, ADHD could be a key to success.

 

Children suffering from ADHD are so energetic and they look at everything as it has always been a play. This gives them extra boost in doing physical activities like sports; swimming to strengthen their lungs and stamina, dancing to enhance their balance, and martial arts to develop their heart, muscle and patience.

 

Most of the children with ADHD are extroverted making them livelier and have a high social competence making them suitable for social activities like seminar speakers, panellists or even teachers. They may also join other social activities to help the community. They may be involved in cleaning the surroundings, joining local clubs, volunteers which aim to help government projects, participating in local shows and contests,

 

Another option in selecting activities for a child with ADHD is in a form of arts. A child may show interest in painting, photo shooting, and making sculptures. These activities may develop a child's creativity and logic because such talents empower the logical capacity of a child. Also, these provide some relaxation and peace of mind for the child as well as the person who will look to such creations and work of arts.

 

While the ADHD has a positive effect on children it is also advisable that parents must keep an eye to their children for they might isolate themselves from doing their tasks and be attracted to more enjoyable yet not that interactive like computer games.

They must learn how to control their own behavior. They should be taught the difference between normal amount from addiction that is why they need a constant monitoring; parents when they are at home, and teachers when they are at school. Continuous monitoring is essential for a child's development.

 

The most effective way to control these children is to understand them. Mostly, children with this condition are often discriminated because of their unusual behavior. They don't need discrimination but understanding. It is better to help them to grow than to discriminate them and allow them to be the problems of the society.

 

Sharmistha Barai is a leading Child & Adolescent psychiatrist based in Saint Louis, Missouri, using her talents and expertise to treat clients for depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar and personality disorders. Dr. Sharmistha specializes in general psycho-geriatrics, child and adolescent psychiatry, drug and alcohol. She completed a MBBS degree (medical degree equivalent) at Lady Hardings Medical College, in New Delhi, India (2002).

To read more, please visit here: http://sharmisthabarai.myfreesites.net

Many parents question their parenting skills when one of their children develops a belligerent attitude when disciplined or asked to do things by an adult. This is normal if it happens occasionally. It would actually be abnormal if a child was not defiant every now and then. But when this behavior becomes the normal everyday behavior, you may have an oppositional defiant disorder child. This is a child who always reacts defiantly to authority figures.

 

This is not normal. If left untreated, this condition can lead not only to more problems at home but major problems when the child gets into school. It prevents the child from being able to function in a normal life setting. Although your oppositional defiant disorder child can drive you absolutely nuts at times, as parents it’s up to us to ensure they get treated and have a fair shot at life.

 

One of the symptoms of an oppositional defiant disorder child is they want to argue about everything they are asked to do. They may intentionally try to make other people angry, frustrated or upset. They argue with adults about everything. They constantly pick on or try to irritate their siblings.

 

As you can imagine, this behavior can cause major problems in school as the child will disrespect authority and often get in trouble. Additionally, as the child gets older, these "minor" defiance issues could turn into legal trouble or other serious issues.

 

It is unclear what actually causes this condition, but many people feel it could be related to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Sometimes the medicine used to treat ADHD can help with the oppositional defiant disorder child.

 

It is also commonly recommended that some type of psychological therapy be used in dealing with this condition. If you feel that your child may have this condition you may want to seek professional help.

 

Putting too much attention on the child with this condition may actually make the situation worse. It is better to get involved in more family activities that can focus on other things instead of focusing all of your attention on this child. This can help the child refocus on other interests as well.

 

Dr. Sharmistha Barai a child psychiatrist can help you determine a treatment course that will work best for you and your child. It is best to get a treatment program set up and working so that you can focus your attention on other things within your life.

Dr. Sharmistha specializes in general psycho-geriatrics, child and adolescent psychiatry, drug and alcohol. She can definitely help you.

Also read here:  Autistic Behavior Child - Dr. Sharmistha Barai

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental health disorders affecting children across the world. Although the disorder strikes at a younger age, the symptoms may penetrate even into the adulthood. Most children diagnosed with ADHD show debilitating behaviors such as inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, which interfere with their activities in school or at home.

According to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of 2011, nearly 11 percent American children aged 4 to 17 years were diagnosed with ADHD.

Sadly, ADHD is often misdiagnosed by doctors, primarily due to its overlapping symptoms with other mental health conditions, such as bipolar disorder, autism, sleep disorders, etc. Only a mental health professional can differentiate between the symptoms of ADHD and other mental health conditions.

Listed below are a few mental illnesses whose symptoms mirror ADHD symptoms:

1. Bipolar disorder

While bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that results in unusual shifts in mood, energy and activity levels and hampers the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks, it is often confused with ADHD due to the presence of certain common symptoms, like mood instability, sudden outbursts, restlessness, talkativeness and impatience.

2. Autism spectrum disorder

A child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibits a group of developmental disorders comprising ongoing social problems and repetitive behaviors that usually appear during the formative years. Some of the symptoms of ASD, such as hyperactivity, social development issues, and emotional immaturity, often overlap with the symptoms of ADHD, which, in turn, leads to misdiagnosis.

3. Sleep disorders

Children diagnosed with ADHD suffer from a variety of sleep problems. Studies have shown that children with ADHD often exhibit daytime sleeping habits and poor sleeping patterns, which may profoundly impact the existing symptoms of ADHD. Thus, sleep deprivation, which is a growing problem among the American children, is often mistaken as a symptom of ADHD.

4. Fatal alcohol syndrome

When a woman drinks alcohol during her pregnancy, it is very likely that the newborn will suffer from fatal alcohol syndrome (FAS), resulting in problems with the vision, hearing ability, memory, attention span, etc. Such infants are also likely to exhibit several other behavioral problems, such as hyperactivity, attention problems and learning disorders, which are often misdiagnosed as ADHD.

5. Hypothyroidism

Also referred to as an underactive thyroid disease, hypothyroidism leads to both under and overproduction of thyroid hormones in a child, which leads to energy imbalances, mood disorders and problems in concentration. The disorder also triggers the feelings of sadness, depression, and memory problems, which often misleads a health care practitioner to misdiagnose the condition as ADHD.

Road to recovery

Mental health issues can affect anyone at any stage of life. If you or someone you love is struggling with a mental health illness, it's better to consult a specialist. Mental health disorders can impact children and adults alike. One must seek professional help if it becomes cumbersome to deal with a mental health issue. Ignoring signs of a mental problem, especially in children, can lead to complications and may even threaten life.

If you need any help for your children then consult with Dr. Sharmistha Barai . Dr. Barai, a leading Child & Adolescent psychiatrist based in Saint Louis, Missouri can help you or anyone you know dealing with depression to find effective, medically-proven techniques to deal with the disease and other disorders.

Also read here:  How Exercise Impacts Mental Health? By Dr. Sharmistha Barai

The parents from any corner of the world want their children to be healthy and happy. They leave no stone unturned to provide good nutrition. And they make sure that kids get everything they desire like latest remote controlled cars, video games, movies and iPods and so on. Still the kids fall ill and sometimes get trapped in serious diseases like obesity and diabetes. And as far as happiness is concerned, kids of this generation are more stressed out, weak, cranky and lethargic.

Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist Dr. Sharmistha Barai says that the nutrition alone cannot guarantee the physical health of the child nor providence of each facility and luxury can assure the mental health. A significant thing missing in this scenario is of physical activeness of the child. The child must participate in some kind of physical activity or sport as per his or her age on regular basis. There are multiple benefits of an active routine in the life of a child which are:

1. Physical activity increases the stamina of the child and makes him healthier and energetic.
   
2. It keeps the illness and major diseases at bay because the body gets stronger from within.
   
3. It makes the mind alert and sharper.
   
4. It makes the child social and polishes his communication skills. Also the child learns the importance of group effort.
   
5. A physically active child is more enthusiastic, confident and expressive. He is likely to stay away from behavioral and mental problems like depression later in his life.
   
6. A fit child is happier and likely to lead a healthy lifestyle.
   

Therefore every parent should make effort to keep the child active physically for long lasting positive effects. To develop this habit of physically activeness, parents should set their own example in front of their children. They should leave their lazy attitude. They should be the one displaying positive habits like walking down to the market instead of going by car. They should also get involved in some kind of sports and exercises. This would make the children follow the footsteps of their parents.

There are many other ways which can prompt the children to happily participate in physical activity. For example, buy him a bicycle and let him bring some articles from the market and remember to appreciate him for this effort. For toddlers, the parents should take them to nearby park and play with them. These small gestures help a long way in shaping a good lifestyle of the child.

For more details you can consult with Dr. Sharmistha Barai . Dr. Barai, a leading Child & Adolescent psychiatrist based in Saint Louis, Missouri can help you or anyone you know dealing with depression to find effective, medically-proven techniques to deal with the disease and other disorders. She specializes in general psycho-geriatrics, child and adolescent psychiatry, drug and alcohol.

For more reading, please visit here: https://sharmisthabarai.wordpress.com

During childhood, anxiety plays a normal role and this is temporary. This can be triggered by a certain stressful event. Examples of such stressful events include the change of environment when the child goes to school for the very first time. Another one would be when the child may have trouble sleeping due to a scary movie he just saw or a tragic news event he just learned.

Childhood anxiety may be normal; however, there are instances when the anxiety can be intense and persistent. When this happens, the child's daily activities and routines are greatly affected. You will notice this when your child does not want to make friends, go to school or having trouble in sleeping.

In most cases, these child anxieties can be treated by reassurance and comfort. But when the anxiety is constant and serious, Dr. Sharmistha Barai advises that you know the certain type of anxiety disorder that your child is suffering so as to know which doctor to ask help to.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Your child may suffer this kind of disorder when he is spending a lot of time performing rituals such as counting, repeating words, hand washing or repeatedly checking and rechecking things. The reason for such rituals is to keep the unpleasant thoughts and/or images away as well as keeping feelings at bay.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

If your child has this kind of disorder, he may experience trouble in sleeping, difficulty in concentrating at school or irritability. He may also experience constant, uncontrollable and excessive fears about any number of everyday things which include family issues, grades, being on time, performing well in sports or even natural disasters. When your child has GAD, he is more likely to become a perfectionist.

Separation Anxiety Disorder

This kind of disorder usually happens during the toddler years but can also happen as the child gets older. Your child usually experiences this due to his new environment and new people to deal with such as his classmates, caregiver and/or teacher. This is usually normal however, this anxiety should not be taken for granted because your child might then be reluctant to go to school, sleep alone or may also develop a fear that something bad will happen to you and him when you are not together.

Phobias

Your child may have a phobia when he has an extreme, intense and irrational fear of something that is specific. Some of the common phobias are needles, the dark, dogs, flying, thunderstorms, water, blood and heights. When you realize that your child has a phobia, it is best if you take responsibility of the matter as children are less likely than the adults to put their fears into proportion or has the ability to realize that their fears are actually irrational.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

When your child witnesses or experiences a traumatic or life-threatening event such as a car accident or robbery, he will most likely develop a post-traumatic stress disorder especially when he lacks a strong support system at home or has experienced the event directly. You will know that he has developed this kind of disorder when he experiences nightmares, insomnia, flashbacks, intense fear and anxiety, re-enact the traumatic incident while playing and depression. He may also avoid and withdraw people, activities months and places after experiencing such traumatic event.

However, whatever kind of child anxiety disorder that your child is having, it is important that you seek advice from child mental health experts and/or pediatrician. Early diagnosis and treatment can surely help in eliminating such child anxiety disorder. Also, if the disorder is treated early on, you will help your child develop good friendship and fewer problems at school as well as improving his self-esteem

If you need any help then consult with Dr. Sharmistha Barai . Dr. Barai, a leading Child & Adolescent psychiatrist based in Saint Louis, Missouri can help you or anyone you know dealing with depression to find effective, medically-proven techniques to deal with the disease and other disorders. She specializes in general psycho-geriatrics, child and adolescent psychiatry, drug and alcohol.

Also read:  Helping Children Cope with a Sibling's Mental Illness

For accident victims, mental recovery after the physical injury has healed is one of the final obstacles to moving on with their lives. Although their physical health has been restored, their mental and emotional health continues to suffer. They are hesitant to receive medical attention from a psychologist or doctor, even though the compensation from their accident would cover such care. Luckily, simple solutions exist for mental recovery after the physical injury had healed. However, in order to apply these solutions, the accident victim must first admit to having difficulties with his or her mental recovery.

One stumbling block is the inability to move on from being wronged. Frustration with the physical limitations that resulted from the accident injury is common. Accident victims often question the fairness of the injury and the limitations that have been thrust upon them. Denying the challenges of managing mental health after a physical injury will prevent accident victims from accepting valuable support from family, friends, and professionals that may be able to help.

Difficulty with mental recovery after the physical injury has healed may also be attributed to physiological factors. While overcoming depression may be a matter of managing mental health after a physical injury, it may also entail addressing a chemical imbalance in the brain. After an antidepressant or other medication has been prescribed, identifying the source of the depression is the next step toward mental recovery. Below are several steps to finding the underlying causes preventing accident victims from mental recovery after the physical injury has healed.

1. Define the emotion, such as, "I am frustrated, angry, or resentful." Understanding the problem will allow accident victims to address and, eventually, resolve it.
   
2. Gratitude lifts the spirit, allowing an accident victim to give grace and receive help. Accident victims who are grateful find managing mental health after a physical injury much easier.
   
3. Becoming consumed with negative thoughts and emotions will prevent you from mental recovery after the physical injury has healed.
   

This may sound cliched, but there is much truth to this adage: Gratefulness lifts your spirit, allowing you to give grace and receive help. Those who are grateful recover much better than those who are self-absorbed. This does not mean that you are wrong for the feelings you identified in step one.

Instead, it means that you need two current, emotional identities, the first, your anxious and resolving self, the second, your grateful and helpful self. Don't believe it? Consider this scenario. In your worst moments, if you saw a child lost in a store, without her mother, only 4 years old and desperate for help, would you walk away? If you said yes, because of your emotional state, then you need to develop this grateful, helpful self again. It is in there, but you are depressing it. Once you begin to give yourself permission to help others, and start to feel the return of your grateful and giving self, you will be amazed how quickly you respond to and resolve some of the worst residual anger, frustration and emotional turmoil thrust on you after an accident.

Once you begin helping others again, you will begin to feel the return of your grateful and giving self. You will be surprised how much this helps you to resolve some of the worst residual anger, frustration, and emotional turmoil thrust on you after an accident.

Dr. Sharmistha Barai, MD is a leading Child & Adolescent psychiatrist based in Saint Louis, Missouri, using her talents and expertise to treat clients for depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar and personality disorders. Dr. Sharmistha specializes in general psycho-geriatrics, child and adolescent psychiatry, drug and alcohol. She completed a MBBS degree (medical degree equivalent) at Lady Hardings Medical College, in New Delhi, India (2002).

To read more, please visit here: http://sharmisthabarai.edublogs.org/