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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) -

This is one of the most common disorders that can be seen in children. If you suspect your child may have ADHD, then it means that they have trouble paying attention, are hyperactive, and entirely impulsive.

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Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) -

Children with ODD often experience temper tantrums and refuse to comply with adults. It indicates a pattern of angry/irritable moods, argumentative/defiant behavior, and vindictiveness towards authority figures.

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Conduct disorder (CD) -

This disorder can be found in children and teenagers. It involves repetitive and persistent patterns of behavior that violate the rights of others or societal norms. These can include aggression, deceitfulness, and rule-breaking. If left unaddressed, this behavior can escalate into adult antisocial personality disorder.

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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) -

ASD is a developmental disability that is caused by differences in the brain. It impacts a child’s ability to build social skills, communicate effectively, and perform repetitive behaviors. The spectrum includes conditions like autism and Asperger's syndrome.

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Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) -

GAD can manifest in both children and adults, since it isn’t confined to any specific development issues. It involves excessive worry or anxiety about various aspects of life, often including school, relationships, and performance.

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Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) -

Alongside ADHD, separation anxiety is among the most common childhood disorders. Children with SAD exhibit extreme fear or anxiety about separation from attachment figures, which can lead to distress when they anticipate or experience separation.

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Social anxiety disorder -

Children and adults with social anxiety experience intense fear about social situations, which leads to avoidance of social interactions or extreme discomfort when faced with social situations. This type of disorder can make it incredibly difficult to make and keep friends.

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Specific phobias -

Aside from a general fear of social situations, children can also exhibit behavior that pertains to a specific phobia. This involves excessive fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation, leading to avoidant behavior.

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Selective mutism -

Selective mutism is quite a rare childhood condition. It involves consistent failure to speak in specific social situations–such as at school or with strangers–despite speaking in other situations.

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Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) -

OCD is a rather long-lasting disorder that can cause people to experience unwanted thoughts or obsessions and repetitive behaviors or compulsions to alleviate anxiety. OCD tends to be hereditary, but it can also be related to environmental factors, such as an overly strict upbringing.

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Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) -

This disorder only really develops after exposure to a traumatic event, and it involves symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, and avoidance of reminders of the trauma. Children are quite often easily susceptible to PTSD, since they are still in the early stages of development.

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Reactive attachment disorder (RAD) -

RAD is a rare condition whereby children show emotionally withdrawn behavior towards caregivers, which is usually a result of emotional neglect, abuse, or lack of opportunity to form attachments.

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Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) -

Children and adolescents with this disorder can experience severe, recurring temper outbursts that are disproportionate to the situation, along with persistent irritability between outbursts. This is more than just a “bad mood,” and can actually be indicative of larger psychological issues.

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Bipolar disorder -

Formerly called manic depression, bipolar disorder is a mental illness that affects children’s moods, which can cause sporadic episodes of mania (elevated mood and increased energy) and depression (low mood and loss of interest or pleasure).

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Depression -

While depression is a blanket term that covers a whole host of separate conditions (such as seasonal depression or clinical depression), it commonly involves persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest in activities, often accompanied by changes in appetite, sleep, and energy levels.

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Tourette syndrome -

Tourette syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder that usually begins when children are between five and 10 years of age. It is characterized by repetitive, involuntary movements and vocalizations commonly known as “tics.”

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Selective eating disorder (SED) -

Selective eating disorder comes under the umbrella of avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), which is a relatively new disorder that has manifested in children and teenagers. Children with ARFID show extreme pickiness or selective eating, often limited to a narrow range of foods due to sensory sensitivities or other factors.

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Pica -

If your child exhibits behavior where they persistently try to eat non-edible, non-nutritive substances (such as dirt, hair, paper, etc.), then it could be that they have pica. If a child with pica is left unsupervised, this disorder could prove detrimental, since they would be inclined to consume potential choking hazards.

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Encopresis (fecal soiling) -

Encopresis shows up when children involuntarily soil their underwear with feces, despite being toilet-trained. Children are able to control their bowels from the age of four, and so this disorder can only appear in children older than this.

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Enuresis (bed-wetting) -

Enuresis, also known as urinary incontinence, is when children involuntarily urinate, especially during their sleep, despite having grown beyond the age when bladder control is expected.

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Trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder) -

This is a mental health disorder that causes kids to recurrently pull out their hair, which leads to noticeable hair loss and distress. Although pulling hair from the head is most common, some children have been known to take hair from other body parts, including eyelashes and arms.

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Dermatillomania (skin-picking disorder) -

Most children who have dermatillomania don’t even notice the symptoms, which includes constant picking at their skin due to worry or anxiety. If left untreated, this disorder can lead to skin lesions and permanent scarring.

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Rumination disorder -

This disorder can actually appear in anyone and at any age, but it is important to be aware of the impact it has on children. Rumination disorder involves the regurgitation of food, which is either rechewed, reswallowed, or spit out. It is important to know that this is not caused by a digestive condition, but is rather a mental disorder.

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Sleep disorders -

There are various sleep disturbances that children can exhibit from a very young age, including insomnia (difficulty falling or staying asleep), nightmares, night terrors, and sleepwalking.

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Hoarding disorder -

While there are a lot of adults who experience this disorder more than children, it can also be seen in those of a young age. Kids with this behavioral condition tend to find it difficult to discard any of their possessions, regardless of their actual value.

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Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) -

A child with intermittent explosive disorder frequently experiences sudden episodes of impulsive aggression or violent outbursts. Parents who have children with this condition must be aware of its possible effects, which can include animal injury and property damage.

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Learning disorders -

There are a host of neurodevelopmental disorders that affect academic functioning, and it is important for parents to keep their eyes out for any symptoms. These disorders can include dyslexia (difficulty with reading) and dyscalculia (difficulty with math), among others.

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Sensory processing disorder (SPD) -

SPD most often manifests during a child’s toddler years. Children with this condition find it difficult to process and respond to sensory information, such as touch, sight, and sound. Children may sometimes express that light is too bright or their clothes are too itchy, all of which are possible symptoms of SPD.

Sources: (National Institute of Mental Health) (Better Health Channel) (Yale Medicine) (Healthline) (WebMD) (BetterHelp) (Medical News Today)

See also: Is a vegan diet safe for children?

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