Mental illness is slowly but surely becoming more understood as the years go on. This seemingly invisible disease shows its wear and tear in the everyday, affecting how people socialize, work and even view themselves. While it can seem daunting addressing how anxiety or depression affects your child, the first step is always the most important — helping achieve a proper diagnosis for your child and providing them with the resources they need to live a high-quality life will go a long way in teaching them how to live life with mental illness. The benefits of therapy card games and toys like sand tray therapy supplies have been proven to counteract many of the common symptoms of OCD and depression.
What Are Symptoms Of Anxiety And OCD?
Knowledge is power. Knowing what mental illness entails and how it functions will better help you find the right resources and tools to handle your child’s symptoms. Anxiety is a spectrum of disorders characterized by racing thoughts, irrational fears, mood swings, difficulty socializing and hypersensitivity — obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder and social anxiety are all specific branches off of anxiety disorder, though generalized anxiety disorder (shortened to GAD) is also a reality for many. A child with OCD may have an irrational fear of germs or disorder, while a child with GAD may experience panic attacks or physical symptoms when doing minor, everyday activities.
What Are Symptoms Of Depression?
Depression is more common than previously thought. Just like anxiety, depression has its own spectrum — seasonal depression, bipolar depression and environmental depression are all different forms of this mental illness and similar links can be drawn between them. Frequently assumed to affect adults, studies have shown 12,000 children are hospitalized every year because of suicide attempts traced to unchecked depression. One in three children will go through a significant lifestyle change, such as a divorce or loss of a family member, before they reach the age of 18. If your child struggles with ongoing patterns of fatigue, disinterest, hopelessness and suicidal thoughts, it’s possible they are suffering from a form of depression.
What Are Symptoms Of ADHD?
Should your child have ADHD or ADD, play therapy games may prove useful in helping them concentrate and enjoy themselves. Of the four and five year-olds currently diagnosed with ADHD, only 50% are known to have received some form of behavioral therapy — the year 2011 saw six million children diagnosed with this form of mental illness. ADHD is characterized by low attention span, mood swings, difficulty concentrating, difficulty sleeping and nervous energy. Play therapy is important for children as it allows them to engage with their natural desire to play while still counteracting mental illness’ side-effects.
How Does Play Therapy Help?
For over 70 years play therapy has been used as a means of helping children communicate when words are difficult and traditional socialization is too exhausting. Up until the age of 12 children will often use play as a means of communicating and interacting with others, making different types of therapy games perfect for giving them a well-rounded social and emotional education. A safe sand tray can be a relaxing, tactile exercise for children struggling with panic attacks or mood swings — sand tray therapy supplies include different types of sand, toys and building blocks. Therapy card games are also useful for those that want to interact with others. Mental illness, with a little patience and understanding, can see its symptoms reduced over time. With sand tray therapy supplies and games, this step is easier than ever before.
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