Even before they are near their teens, children can suffer from anxiety, lack of behavioral control (relative to their age mates), attention challenges, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression. Young children respond to emotional experiences in ways that differ sharply from older children, so diagnosis and treatment are often much more challenging than for these older children, adolescents, or adults. Saber Psychiatry, however, has the training and experience to work with youngsters as young as 2 years old.
Children who experience trauma often benefit from early intervention. Psychiatrists know that toxic stressors such as trauma, illness, and poverty are damaging, but that treatment helps children through adults recover from the resulting mental disturbances. While later treatment does work, early treatment is better, giving the developing brain more time to heal and less time under assault.
Saber Psychiatry provides diagnoses and treatment for children, adolescents, and adults. We work with the youngest patients. Call us at 615-678-7839.
About Saber Psychiatry:
- Conservative medication management
- Sleep disorders: studies/assessments and treatment
- Mood disorders, anxiety
- Behavior regulation
- Personality disorders
- Holistic, client-centered
- Mondays from 10:00am to 5:00pm
Hours:
Mondays & Wednesdays – 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Tuesdays – 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Thursdays – 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Fridays – 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Working with Young Children
Toddlers cope with grief, death, and other stresses. Harsh life experiences do not spare infants and young children; treatment, therefore, benefits even the youngest family members.
Parents should look for treatment when there are non-medical and non-developmental causes for:
- Decrease in appetite, sleep patterns, or bathroom/diaper habits
- Marked decreases in curiosity or engagement
- Unfocused energy, inability to sit still (compared to same-age children)
- Decrease in social interest
- Lack of interest in people
- Increased irritability or whining
- More aggression
- Explosive temper
- Increase in attention-seeking
- Increase in rocking or thumb-sucking (or other self-soothing behaviors)
- Developmental regressions (going back to thumb-sucking, loss of willingness or ability to use the potty or toilet)
- Regression in language or cognitive skills
Development is not a straight-line increase. Children may show behavioral regressions in reaction to normal life events such as moving or the arrival of a sibling, but when changes are severe, out of line with the event, or long-lasting, caregivers are right to be concerned.
Treatment usually some combination of the following:
- Behavior or play therapy
- Family therapy
- Parent training
- Conservative use of medication
- Stress management
Call Saber Psychiatry at 615-678-7839.