Children's mental health

Evidence-based guides to the conditions parents ask about: how to notice them, how they are assessed and what helps.

• Is it just a phase? When to ask for help

  Three questions professionals use to tell a hard phase from a problem that needs support, and what to do if the answer is yes.

• When worry takes over: anxiety disorders

  Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in childhood, and one of the most treatable. Here is how to spot it, and why avoidance keeps it going.

• ADHD: more than can't sit still

  ADHD is common, largely inherited and very treatable. What it looks like at each age, how it is diagnosed, and what the guidelines recommend.

• Autism: early signs and support that works

  Autism can be spotted as early as 18 months, and play-based support from parents makes a real difference. The signs, the process and the myths.

• Depression in children and teens

  In young people, depression often looks like irritability, withdrawal or falling grades rather than tears. How to recognize it and what helps.

• Defiance and aggression: when it's more than a phase

  Persistent defiance and aggression are common and treatable. Why harsh punishment backfires, and why parent training is the treatment with the best evidence.

• OCD: when worries come with rules

  OCD is more than liking things tidy. How to spot the cycle of unwanted thoughts and rituals, why reassurance feeds it, and the therapy that works.

• Trauma and PTSD in children and teens

  After a frightening event, most children recover with calm support. When reactions last more than a month, trauma-focused therapy works best.

• More than food: eating disorders in children

  Eating disorders are illnesses, not choices, and they are treatable. Here are the early signs, how ARFID differs from picky eating, and why parents are part of the cure.

• Dyslexia and learning disorders: not lazy, not slow

  Learning disorders affect 5 to 15% of school-age children and have nothing to do with intelligence. The signs at each age, how they are assessed and what teaching works.

• Tics and Tourette syndrome: what really helps

  Tics are common in childhood, usually come and go, and often ease after puberty. Why telling a child to stop backfires, and what helps when tics get in the way.

• When words get stuck: selective mutism

  Some children chatter at home but freeze at nursery or school. Selective mutism is anxiety, not stubbornness, and it responds well to small, pressure-free steps.

• Self-harm in young people: what parents can do

  Self-harm is a sign of serious distress, not bad behavior. How to respond calmly when you find out, keep your child safe and get the right help.

General information, not a diagnosis or medical advice. Only a qualified professional can assess a child.