Whenever parents and teachers have to deal with a consistently difficult child, they start wondering if it is due to a psychological problem. If your child is moody or has a slight temper, or can’t sleep well the last few nights, you have no reason to run to a psychiatrist. Only if you perceive an abrupt change in your child’s behavior, or if his or her attitude can be considered as “abnormal” compared to other children of the same age, you will have to check out you have a problem child. The first thing you should do is to visit a specialist and deal with your child’s problem as soon as possible.

What is a problem child?

A problem child is one that suffers from a mental illness that may come from the child’s family or school environment. There are common symptoms that characterize problem children, but they can be easily overlooked by teachers or parents. One of the main factors that can lead the child to develop psychological problems is the combination of the following personality characteristics:
- Extroversion
- Introversion
- Neuroticism (also know as hypersensitivity or anger control problem)
The child who fails to achieve a dual (personal and interpersonal) adaption can be characterized as a problem child.

The two symptoms of a problem child:

The first symptom is called “antisocial behavior“. This kind of child’s behavior has different complexes (symptoms) that usually appear at the same time. Disobedience, tends to interrupt and cause trouble to people around it, pessimism, audacity and hyperkinesis are just some of them.

In addition, a problem child that suffers from antisocial behavior tends to be violent, disrespectful and jealous. It is in a bad mood most of the time and it is not willing to cooperate.

The second syndrome can be described as “neuroticism” or “hypersensitivity“. The symptoms that apply to this category are: inferiority complex, low self-esteem, social isolation and depression. It is very common for a problem child to be unable to feel joyful.

The child’s pathological behavior can also appear as constraint, laziness, apathy and permanent abstraction.

The purpose of this article is to help you understand if you have or if you are a problem child. In case you have some serious suspicion that your child is problematic, do not overlook it; contact a child-psychologist or psychiatrist immediately, who will help you and your child confront these problems. Just remember: immediate treatment brings always positive results.