When to be alerted to child psychological disorders and App Psico Guia as a tool to help

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the prevalence of psychological disorders in childhood ranges between 10 and 20%. The most common, according to age, are the following:

  • Children between 0 and 5 years of age have a higher incidence of behavioral disorders and developmental and language delays.
  • Between 6 and 11 years of age, behavioral disorders and learning disorders stand out, with ADHD and dyslexia standing out at this level. Most diagnoses are usually made in this age range.
  • Conduct disorders, together with anxiety disorders and mood disorders (depression) are more common between 12 and 18 years of age.
  • There is a higher incidence of conduct disorders in boys and anxiety disorders in girls at any age.

How can parents detect if their children suffer from psychological disorders?

One of the main reasons why children are not diagnosed early when they may have a mental illness is because parents tend to confuse “signs of mental problems in children with child behavior” and assume that some of the behaviors are normal during the stages of their development.

At this level, Dr. Sasot, a specialist in Child Psychiatry, recommends using the App (Android / iOS) for mobile “Psico GUIA”, a tool created in his Unit that brings together the main warning signs in child and adolescent mental health during early childhood, school and adolescence. Also on the website of our group “centreguia.cat” you can find detailed warning signs for different ages.

What are considered warning signs in child psychological disorders?

A warning sign in child and adolescent mental health is understood to be that sign, symptom or set of manifestations which, if they appear at a certain age, should immediately lead us to think of a possible psychiatric or psychological disorder.

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Why is prevention in child mental health so important?

Being able to treat a mental health problem when it begins to show warning signs at an early stage of development makes it possible in most cases to achieve an early and better therapeutic response. Prevention, i.e., anticipation, is basic in child and adolescent mental health. In the event of any warning sign, the first thing parents should do is to go to their pediatrician who should assess its importance and refer them to a specialized service.

The professional team of Centre Psicopediàtric Guia is specialized in diagnosing and treating psychiatric, psychological and psycho-pedagogical problems of childhood, adolescence and youth, exclusively. The experience in ADHD, conduct disorders, learning disorders, anxiety disorders and depressive disorders allows them to offer an adequate guarantee of quality of their professional services, currently working in line with the best clinical services of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, entity of which they are members.

In the last 25 years they have been able to attend to a population of nearly 11,000 patients thanks to a multi-professional medical-psychiatric, psychological and psycho-pedagogical group, which allows them to carry out a wide range of care, teaching and research work. These last aspects are developed together with the University of Barcelona and the Autonomous University of Barcelona, as well as the professional advice of several Foundations specialized in mental health.