Should a child recieve therapy?

nesf

(This isn't a medical question, just seems like one at first glance)

Just a quick question, would love to see opinions on this one.

If a young child child, say between 6 and 10, shows "signs of there being something wrong/different in their minds" over a substantial time frame but it isn't really disrupting their public life, they are just more than "a bit different" in a few regards. But, importantly, they are not a danger to themselves or others and are doing fine academically etc. There's just something wrong if you know what I mean.

Should they be taken to a psychiatrist and a therapist or should they be let to develop themselves and if they don't "grow out of it", then look at therapy and such.

Would people consider psychiatric medication and "intense" therapy valid options for a kid who would have little or no actual understanding of them because of their age?


My opinion is that the kid should be left grow up in as normal an environment as possible and that drugs and therapy will only alienate the child and make them feel more different than they already do. I don't think that it would be good for the child. I would think that therapy and such should really be something left until the child is at least self aware enough to realise what's happening.

What do you think?

simu

nesf wrote:

If a young child child, say between 6 and 10, shows "signs of there being something wrong/different in their minds" over a substantial time frame but it isn't really disrupting their public life, they are just more than "a bit different" in a few regards. But, importantly, they are not a danger to themselves or others and are doing fine academically etc. There's just something wrong if you know what I mean.

They should be left alone, of course. People are different but that's cool. What do you mean by "just something wrong"? That's just an opinion if there's no medical problem/diagnosed mental illness or if they're not harming themselves or others.

I've was quite strange when I was a teenager and my mother used to get annoyed about it the odd time (fortunately, my father was more of a more laissez-faire persuasion). Also, at school I was randomly selected (yeah right!) for a session with the school counsellor. I refused to say anything beyond banalities to her and turned down her offer of having a weekly session (although it would have been a handy way of avoiding PE!). Anyway, there was nothing dangerous about my behaviour - I just used to act and think differently than other people of my age and I'm firmly of the belief that this has been nothing but an advantage in my life. Sure, I was a bit older than your example and more self-aware but I think that the same thing applies, namely that people should not be made to feel that there's something wrong with them if there isn't.

jcoote

i think a really large part of any therapy is the willingness and ability to help yourself through your problems...i don't think a child of 6-10 or maybe even pre-pubescent children would have the mental capacity to do this...imagine a child trying to understand emotions and why they think the way they do...i think it may solve the problem but would lead to other complications along the way..

allow them be a child and if therapy is needed at a later date they will know themselves and the parents/carer's can just be there for support!!!

amp

This is not a Humanities related thread as it is too specific. I'm not going to move it to PI because they will see it as a health related thread.

Locked.