Many people suffer from mental health disorders and children are no exception. In many cases children are susceptible to the same conditions as adults however there are some conditions that are more common in children. It is important to be able to recognize these conditions so that you and get treatment for your child if you start to notice them. The earlier that these conditions are addressed the easier it usually is to deal with them. Avoiding the problem usually leads to more serious issues as the child grows up and becomes an adult.
The most common mental health disorders affecting children are anxiety disorders. This should probably come as no surprise given that anxiety disorders are the most common issues for adults as well. An anxiety disorder is one in which a child has an excessive fear of something. Anxiety and fear are common so there is no reason to suspect that just because a child shows fear he is suffering from a disorder. However if the fear is excessive and is accompanied by physical symptoms it might be the result of an anxiety disorder.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a fairly common mental health disorder in children. In reality it is probably over diagnosed and many children who have been diagnosed with ADHD probably don't really have a problem. ADHD is usually characterized by difficulty concentrating, and paying attention. Children with ADHD also tend to get easily bored and move around a lot. The problem is that having lots of energy and getting bored easily is in large part just a result of being a child. In itself this is not a good reason to believe a child has ADHD. Many children have been diagnosed with ADHD that they don't actually have. That being said many children do suffer from in and it is important to treat it in situations where it does exist.
Pervasive development disorders occur when children seem to be confused and are having trouble understanding the world around them. This is the result of them not processing information properly. Pervasive development disorders need to be addressed since they will have a very serious impact on the quality of the child's life if they aren't.
Learning and communication disorders occur when a child has trouble storing and using information. They also tend to have difficulty expressing their ideas. This is another case in which children have difficulty in processing information; treatment involves changing the way that they do this. Usually it involves changing the way information is presented to the child.
Some children suffer from elimination disorders, far and away the most common of which is bed wetting. This may or may not be done on purpose and is usually the result of other psychological issues.