During adolescence and the following years, human behavior undergoes a great change while passing from childhood to youth. In this interim period, family relationships also begin to change. Adjustment problems in these families are a frequent occurrence in child and adolescent psychiatry referrals.
Families, especially if they have no previous experience with young people, do not know how to adapt to this situation. The young person who wants to open up more freedom for himself may come into conflict with the family.
Families who come to adolescent psychiatry may describe this situation as behavioral disorder, irritability of the adolescent and breaking the rules. In fact, this is the young person’s efforts to get to know his/her environment and to open up more freedom. Families can increase the pressure for protection. The young man resists this, wants to try new things, but his family does not allow, and at this point, he can do what he wants to do by hiding and telling lies. On the one hand, the adolescent feels guilty about it. Families who come to psychiatry especially complain about these lies.
Young people learn by making mistakes, but good awareness is needed so that these mistakes do not harm them. Therefore, families should be close to young people and should be able to talk to them instead of criticizing them about everything. They should be able to convey their own experiences and make children and young people listen to them.
Most of the families who come to child and adolescent psychiatry do not have the opportunity to talk about subjects other than discussing the course with the young people. This pushes the young person to seek outside. Home is now a place where he is bored and constantly criticized. For this reason, the adolescent does not want to stay at home for a long time, he wants to spend his time outside in a more comfortable environment. He protects his friends against his family who criticize his friends, he may see his family as ignorant, backward-minded people, and this may cause him to distance himself from the family even more.
Adolescence, especially young people with diseases such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, special learning difficulties, depression and anxiety, get through this period more difficult. Among the young people who come to child and adolescent psychiatry, those who have behavioral problems in adolescence have a higher incidence of the disease. Tendency to bad habits may increase in these children and adolescents.
Sudden behavioral changes, changes in the circle of friends, introversion or vice versa, sudden outbursts, sudden drops in course success, especially in young people, are the situations that should be emphasized.
There may be sudden changes in lifestyle, especially in young people who use substances, their behavior and behavior at home may change, interest in school may decrease, and they may come home late.
Adolescents with attention deficit disorder, on the other hand, have more attention problems, school may become more boring for them and their tendency to avoid school may increase. They find it very difficult to study.
In all these matters, it is important for families to be vigilant and intervene in a timely manner. They should not act calmly and try to correct the young person with drastic measures. They must first try to understand the cause to fix the problem, then intervene. They should get help if needed.
