Stress, severe depression, suicide by jumping off a building are common among well-behaved children who attend specialized schools

Good children are more prone to depression

Stress is a state of physical (increased autonomic excitability) or psychological (feelings of discomfort, tension, loss of control) response to factors that disturb the balance of the individual and beyond the individual’s ability to adapt.

Dr. Duong Minh Tam, Head of Stress Disorders Department, Institute of Mental Health, Bach Mai Hospital, in a study in 2019 -2020 at the National Children’s Hospital with the subjects of 10-19 years old students found: 55.6% of children have psychological trauma (study pressure 20%, family pressure 20.5%, friendship in school 8.9%).

And research results also show that: stress and depression are most common at the ages of 14 and 17, the time when students take the entrance exam to high school and university.

It is worth noting that stress is more common in well-behaved and well-educated children. In his practice of treatment, Dr. Information center, most of the children who come for examination and treatment for depression and stress come from specialized schools and selected classes.

A male student is being treated for depression at the Mental Health Institute, Bach Mai Hospital

For good children with high academic achievement, they often have more self-pressure than those who are busy playing, position pressure in school, self-image in the eyes of family and teachers, and often live, think, and think about themselves. Thinking more responsible makes children have to make constant efforts.

“These children are often stressed and stressed, especially when they do not meet expectations, will suffer more than other children. This shows that the pressure from study, pressure from family, pressure to achieve is one of the causes of stress in school age, “said Dr. Tam.

What are the warning signs that your child is depressed?

Notably, through taking the medical history, most of the students suffered from chronic stress, the stress process had quietly developed from about 3-5 years ago and the exam pressure was only “the last drop of water”. Psychological development and personality changes of students coincide with puberty, so many parents implicitly accept that change.

It is only when children have behaviors that hurt themselves or are too abnormal that parents can identify and take the child to the hospital, often the child is already in a stage of severe depression and stress.

To identify signs of depression and stress in children, Dr. Minh Tam said that stress often happens very quietly, but when children have the following behaviors, parents should be concerned.

“The first is self-destructive behavior (cuts on forearms or thighs, biting nails, clicking on fingertips ..). This self-injury is a way to relieve a child’s emotional turmoil.

In addition, the child has unusual behaviors, contrary to the previous personality such as the child becoming aggressive, rebellious or overly compliant, having a disorder in eating behavior such as eating too little or too much, have sleep disorders such as sleeping too much or too little, boredom, decreased connection to society…

Or there is a form of physical stress such as children with abdominal pain, headache, stomach pain, gastrointestinal bleeding… These pains often appear when children are preparing for exams or before important events. When the event passes, the pain relieves symptoms, “said Dr. Tam.

Let’s overcome it together

To deal with this situation, Dr. Minh Tam believes that families can refer to the principle of 5 Rs. Besides, a simple and easy factor to implement is to support sleep control for children. Because according to Dr. Mind, sleep is essential for physical and mental health. Children between 6 and 12 years old should sleep 9 to 12 hours a night. Teenagers need 8 to 10 hours per night. Sleep is an important factor in stress management.

In addition, parents need to know that stress causes illness and disease type depends mainly on personality. For children with weak personalities, romantics, writers and artists, closed personalities or lack of will, lack of energy, shyness, low self-esteem, guilt, lack of restraint, explosiveness, conflicts are often prone to stress than children with strong personality.

Therefore, families should build for children an environment of emulation, striving, mutual support and progress together. This helps children cope better with stress.

Exercise, physical activity is an essential stress reliever for people of all ages. Besides, outdoor activities, spending time in nature is also an effective way to reduce stress and improve overall health.

Dr. Minh Tam also gives advice on strengthening family bonds through confiding sessions. Talking about stressful situations with a trusted adult can help children and teens see things and find solutions. This is one of the best ways to help children realize their problems.

Most people believe that the harmful stress response is something that should be avoided whenever possible. However, some of the stress we experience on a daily basis is actually good for us and avoiding it can be harmful. From another perspective, stress can be considered as a challenge to help us become more and more perfect and mature. The word “pressure creates motivation” for us to strive.

Therefore, Dr. Dr. Tam believes that each family, each parent, depending on the child’s ability, cognitive ability and response, should have reasonable, appropriate and gradually increased goals for the child to get used to and desensitize to the new environment. pressure of life.

The 5 R’s rule helps reduce stress
Chronic stress can lead to serious health problems if it is not handled appropriately. Chronic stress weakens the body’s immune system, leading to a number of mental and physical illnesses such as depression and cardiovascular diseases. To deal with this situation, families can refer to the 5-letter principle of CHEAP
Recognition: Identify causes and sources of stress, educate and raise awareness. To overcome, adapt to stress
Relationships: Seek help, support, reassurance
Removal: Eliminate stressors and triggers
Relaxation: Relaxation through techniques such as meditation, massage, breathing exercises, etc.
Re-engagement: Re-interaction through managed re-exposure and desensitization.

N. Huyen