WECARE

Painful Feelings

“Mom…I don’t feel good. I can’t go to school…my tummy hurts…”

You’ve heard it so many times. You know there’s some truth to it…but still you wonder. When she stays home, the tummy ache disappears within an hour or two. She seems relieved and much more relaxed. What’s going on?

You dutifully went to school every day when you were growing up. And you even got awards for perfect attendance on more than one occasion. You just always did what you were supposed to do.

What do you do as a parent when you know you’re child is suffering in some way…but you’re not sure if this is dread of school, or a physical ailment…?  …or is it a discipline problem..?

One consideration might be social anxiety. Some children show signs of it in infancy. Others never meet a stranger, then during the early school years something happens and they seem to become very timid. Even frozen in a group of people.

Social Anxiety Isn’t Shyness

And it’s hard for a child… in fact, it’s hard for anyone. It interferes with school attendance, confidence to perform publicly,  making friends, and “fitting in.”  Anxiety isn’t a sign of cowardice, or weakness, but rather the result of something happening in the child’s brain.

Sometimes medication can be helpful, but first, the child needs a workup to determine any unseen factors. Then counseling with the child and parents to help him feel safe initially… and then to gradually adjust to just a few students at a time until he feels secure, little by little.

With holistic mental health treatment strategies we’ll work with you to create a plan that includes our services, the family, and teachers… a child can experience greatly improved function that will set him on more solid footing for his future. The younger the child is diagnosed, the more effective this treatment work can be.

Begin by calling now for an appointment, and meet with our social worker for a workup. Then, we’ll develop a plan of care together for improved confidence, self-assurance, and better functioning in school and at home.

Behaviors Can Cause Pain, Too

With another child the challenge might not be anxiety at all. The challenge might be that your child seeks attention. Often. It might be reports from his teacher that he’s never in his seat for long… and finds one reason after another to leave his seat…

His teacher may find this disruptive to her class, but for him it might be that he’s a little boy who’s naturally active and finds sitting still difficult.

Similar Behaviors Don’t All Point to the Same Diagnosis 

…Or…he might actually be struggling against a disorder that makes it extremely difficult for him to pay attention to what’s going on for very long. It just might be that your child has something happening in his brain that short circuits his attention span, and triggers the need to do something. To move. Or talk. To bounce. And laugh.

Behaviors like this may be troubling to others, but your child isn’t purposely being a bother. And may find that he’s criticized, chided, and even punished far too often…not understanding why.

An inability to focus, to pay attention in class, to cooperate with the group, can also impede your child’s academic progress, and his grades may reflect this. But the worst is the shame that grows within him with all the reprimands, the growing reputation he may receive from others as the “bad kid.”

Your child isn’t bad. He may need help with a neurological condition like Attention-Deficit-Hyperactivity-Disorder (ADHD)… or it may be something different such as the autism spectrum or something else.

He does need a thorough evaluation, so call now for an appointment, and let’s look at all aspects of his health and social interactions, and work together to understand his needs. We’ll form a plan that will help him manage his urges and his ability to invest socially and academically, too.

Medication

Many parents worry that if they take their child to a psychiatrist, he’ll put the child on medications with troubling side effects. In this practice, medications are more of a last resort after we’ve set a variety of other things in place.

Our priority is your child’s well-being. Helping him to cope with his world, to manage difficulties as well as his behavior, and benefit from the support around him is our goal.

There are a variety of conditions that can affect your child’s wellbeing, development, and progress… at home, at school, and in life. Sometimes medication can be a help, but we don’t start there.

At Freedom Psychiatry we help you help your child, and we guide your child in helping himself. With a holistic mental health treatment approach to his history, his health, organic conditions, and his behaviors, we work with you, your child, and his school counselor to find solutions for a more fulfilling and rewarding future for him.

Call now for an appointment, and watch your child thrive to be the best version of himself he can be.

Serving Cary, NC – Raleigh, NC – Durham, NC – Apex, NC – Wake Forest, NC – Holly Springs, NC – Fayetteville, NC – Sanford, NC – Smithfield, NC – Clayton, NC – Morrisville, NC