Children and adolescents do not express discomfort like adults do, which is why it can be difficult to identify depressive symptoms in the childhood and adolescent stages. Being in development, it is advisable to differentiate reactions in accordance with its evolutionary stage from disproportionate or strange reactions. In psychology, we speak of "disruptive mood dysregulation" to refer to a state of chronic irritability, with frequent outbursts of anger (3 or more times a week) in response to frustration, for at least 1 year and in two contexts. different (for example, home and school/institute).
Outbursts of anger can be verbal (tantrums, insults) or behavioral (aggression with objects, physical aggression towards peers or adults), whose intensity or duration is disproportionate to the situation, and with marked difficulty in self-regulation. Taking into account that children and adolescents will sometimes refuse to perform certain tasks, meet demands or respect limits, it is interesting to see if the reactions are in accordance with the evolutionary stage. In fact, to properly explore these symptoms, we must wait until the child is at least 6 years old and at most 18 years old.
DEVELOPMENT AND COURSE
Usually, the symptoms attenuate as the child matures. However, approximately half of children with chronic severe irritability will remain unchanged after 1 year. Children with these symptoms have a greater risk of developing depression and anxiety in adulthood.
If you have doubts about which reactions are consistent with your child's developmental stage, or you have seen his/her functioning reflected in this post, do not hesitate to contact us to better assess your case and be able to guide you.
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