Aggression - causes, treatment, manifestations in adolescents and children

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The modern lifestyle has a negative impact not only on the health of adults, but also on children. Nervous disorders in children are very common, but parents are not able to identify this pathology, thinking that this is just another whim. With the younger generation, circumstances are much simpler, because they are able to talk about their feelings, and the signs of a nervous breakdown in a teenager help to make a final diagnosis. Children are very active and sometimes it is difficult to determine when an action comes from nervousness, and in what case it simply needs to release excess energy. Therefore, you have to resort to the help of specialists.

Signs and forms of a nervous breakdown in children

Parents need to monitor their child and note actions that become habitual. A nervous breakdown manifests itself differently in each person, and the same applies to children. One person withdraws into himself, while others, on the contrary, prefer to scream loudly and throw tantrums. If your child has taken up the habit of rolling on the floor and screaming wildly, it is best to contact a neurologist who can dispel all doubts. According to experts, neurosis occurs solely due to internal conflict, which causes the emotional state to become unbalanced.

The main warning factors include the following symptoms:

The occurrence of hallucinations;
Achievement in mental development of their peers;
The child begins to fantasize or deceive in all seriousness;
Lost interest in life;
Strong interest in one subject at school (overindulgence).

These symptoms appear only at the initial stage of a nervous breakdown, and to prevent their development, contact a neurologist in a timely manner.

How do nervous disorders manifest in children?

Nervous tic. Very often, nervous disorders in children manifest themselves in this form, which is expressed in unconscious twitching of the limbs, cheeks, shrugging of shoulders, unreasonable movement of the hand, smacking, and so on. If you notice a nervous tic in a child when he is in a calm state, this is the first sign of a nervous disorder. With active activity, the tic disappears.
Poor sleep or insomnia. If your child previously slept well, but suddenly begins to toss and turn constantly, sleep restlessly and wakes up very often, you should also pay attention to this symptom. In this form of the disorder, children also talk during sleep, and it becomes very realistic.
Neurosis. This is the most serious form of manifestation of the disease and parents should pay special attention to the following symptoms: sadness, hysteria, phobias, frequent fears, obsessive movements, quiet speech, depression, panic. As soon as you notice these symptoms, consult a specialist immediately.
Stuttering. This form of the disorder occurs in children around three years of age. During this period, the baby learns to talk. It is very important not to overload the child, as due to the information load, he may experience stress. Ultimately, what matters is the healthy child, not the potential child prodigy. Stuttering also occurs when separated from loved ones.
Enuresis. When a child experiences a strong shock or overstimulation, he wets the bed. During this period, unstable mood, numerous whims and increased tearfulness are noted.
Anorexia. This form of nervous disorder results in loss of appetite. If a child was forced to eat in childhood, then in adolescence this, as a rule, “results” in the desire for a slim figure. It is best to treat anorexia at an early age, as adolescents exhibit greater independence and rely on their inexperience.

Very often, the development of a nervous breakdown is caused by the incorrect behavior of parents, despite all the love on their part. To avoid the development of the disease and its appearance a priori, try to avoid the following actions:

Note the child’s shortcomings, constantly pointing out their weakness, as if trying to eradicate them. In this case, it is better to concentrate on the wealth that needs to be acquired;
Sending a child to two schools, clubs and other sections that he does not like, creating an overload;
Excessive guardianship of a child;
Scandals in the family;
Show that the child must achieve favor with his parents, earn it. Try to show your love.

What is aggression?

Aggression, the manifestations of which most often cause a negative reaction from the people observing it, can also have a positive effect.
Such a moment is considered to be an opportunity to discharge overwhelming emotions and a person to defend his positions and increase self-esteem. But aggressiveness still needs to be controlled so as not to create life problems for yourself. It manifests itself especially strongly in adolescence, so it is important to understand the reasons for its appearance.

A person’s aggression means that he wants to feel power over someone, to subjugate him. It can be both internal, directed inward (auto-aggression) and external, the object of which is other people or objects. It can also be obvious and hidden. Signs of obvious aggression are considered to be an increased degree of conflict, assault, the ability to put pressure on others, and slander. And the hidden form is manifested by withdrawal into oneself, attempts at suicide.

Treatment of children

Treatment of nervous breakdowns in children consists of different techniques in psychotherapy. Depending on the age, both nonverbal and verbal therapy can be used. However, at the heart of any technique is the idea of combating anxiety and fears. It is necessary to reduce the patient’s anxiety and return him to a harmonious life. To do this, you need to remove all grievances, guilt and get out of stress. If a child has a nervous breakdown, it is advisable to conduct psychotherapy sessions with the whole family. However, in the case of teenagers, it is better to trust a professional without resorting to the help of parents. Moreover, some adults themselves have personality disorders.

As for the use of medications, they are used as an addition and only in advanced cases. Drugs, of course, can ease anxiety and temporarily cure a breakdown, but if the cause is not removed, which can be resolved exclusively with a psychotherapist, the disease will return again and, perhaps, with greater force.

What should parents do if their child has a nervous breakdown?

As a rule, children accumulate tension in kindergarten or at home, which sooner or later breaks out. If you feel your child is on the verge of a tantrum, try the following:

When the baby is already on the limit and ready to throw a tantrum, smile at him, kiss him and tell him a joke.
Try to redirect the child's attention. This needs to be done sharply to cause surprise. One way is to pretend to be hysterical, making a preemptive move. In some cases, this causes surprise and reassurance.

What should you do if your child has already had a nervous breakdown:

Place your child in a cool shower. If he is unable to do this on his own, pick him up and take him to the bath. As a last resort, splash cold water on your face or put ice, a bag of frozen vegetables, or a towel soaked in cold water on your forehead. As you know, cold water slows down reactions in the body, negative energy is washed away, emotions recede;
Use the mirror technique. The point is to repeat all the actions that the baby does. At a young age, this causes great surprise and reassurance, hysteria is replaced by curiosity;
If an attack occurs, remove all dangerous objects away, as the child does not understand what he is doing and does not control himself. He can easily pick up an object and throw it wherever he wants;
Create an environment of privacy. Some people calm down when left alone, but you still need to watch your baby discreetly.

What actions should be taken after a hysteria has occurred:

Prepare hot tea and add a couple of drops of motherwort. This will calm the nervous system, the brain will come into balance, and the child will fall asleep;
Brew herbal teas with St. John's wort, mint, motherwort, fennel, and lavender more often. This is especially true if the child often cries and breaks down.

Do not forget about other preventive measures, in particular, B vitamins can remove negative emotional reactions and reduce the amount of stress. Cookies, cheese, egg yolk, beets, tomatoes, pears, spinach, cauliflower, carrots and other fermented milk products are very beneficial for the nervous system. It has recently been proven that folic acid helps reduce the amount of the amino acid homocysteine, which has elevated levels in children prone to hysteria and nervous breakdown.

Possible consequences

Aggression always has some kind of consequences. Eric Berne, the founder of transactional analysis, said that people who play games always pay in a certain way, and this payment depends on the level of the game. By games he meant aggressive manifestations and roles that people choose in familiar or stressful situations. The severity of the consequences of aggression depends on the level of manifestations and can have three manifestations. The first is a mild degree of aggression, with the consequences being mainly emotional. That is, such a surge is followed by weakness, gloominess and a feeling of guilt. If a person experiences a deeper degree of involvement in aggressive impulses and tendencies, then he will already experience some social damage after such conflicts. This is dismissal from work, loss of certain amounts, certain social benefits. The most severe level of involvement is characterized by physical harm and even death.

We have all been aware since childhood that expressing aggression is indecent and is not welcomed by social boundaries and boundaries. And throughout our lives we learn to restrain these negative impulses. It is precisely this excessive rejection of emotionality that can provoke the accumulation of negative emotions with their subsequent explosion, up to a nervous breakdown.

The consequences of aggression with loved ones are also not good. They carry negativity, negatively affect children's mental functionality and can lead to divorce. Sometimes long-accumulated aggression can spill out through fighting and shouting with a stormy clarification of the circumstances. Naturally aggressive impulses in a team, which are often observed at work, tend to worsen with the acting out of negative scenarios in which the lowest in rank suffers the most.

Everyone knows that the expression of aggression is not welcomed by society, which is why, if we do not restrain ourselves, then we are consumed by a feeling of guilt. Sometimes significant destruction can remain after aggression, especially if this aggression is played out between the leaders of two powers or even business corporations. It is the negative consequences that teach one to keep the level of aggression within limits and not to splash it out uncontrollably.

Signs and causes of nervous breakdown in teenagers

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Probably every person with age looks at the younger generation with caution, comparing his youth with the modern generation. In any case, it can be noted that teenagers behave extremely defiantly, noisily, aggressively and obscenely. At home, of course, almost everyone follows the rules of decency, but at school or on the street, behavior most often changes greatly. As a result, individuals who are very trusting, susceptible to emotions and unable to protect themselves, receive psychological injuries, and they hit a person an order of magnitude harder than physical ones.

The psychological trauma suffered can, with age or throughout life, interfere with full development if it is not removed. Since in the post-Soviet space it is not yet customary to go to a psychologist, people are forced to cope with these problems on their own.

What causes contribute to the development of a nervous breakdown?

Heavy workload at school;
Unfavorable group among friends or at school;
Inability to stand up for yourself and defend your point of view;
Unfavorable climate within the family;
Lack of a favorite activity;
Frequent stress and emotional tension.

Signs of a nervous breakdown:

The teenager begins to withdraw into himself, avoids all contact with friends, blames others;
Shows excessive activity. However, this is much less common, since an outburst of emotions, even in the most primitive and ugly form, helps a person get rid of negativity;
During relaxation, the limbs of the body begin to twitch;
Poor sleep and insomnia;
Constant dialogues and disputes within the individual;
Depression and apathy towards the surrounding world.

Parents should show maximum attention, because suicidal acts often occur among the younger generation and one gets the impression that modern school education only contributes to this. Show more care, try to spend weekends together, going out into the country for fishing or just relaxing. This will protect the teenager from bad companies, if any. Encourage him to sign up for interesting sections where there is a “healthy” team. If a child feels a negative and disdainful attitude from other teenagers, send him to a sports section, wrestling or other types of combat. Thus, he will feel confident in himself and will be able to defend his point of view.

Adolescence and aggression

Any person can have such character traits, but they are especially noticeable in teenagers. This is a concern for many parents who notice their children being angry and uncontrollable.