Child and adolescent mental health experts have advised parents not to dismiss their children’s tantrums as mere acts of stubbornness or manipulation, warning that such behaviours could be signs of deeper emotional or psychological distress.
They noted that tantrums could indicate anxiety, depression, or other underlying challenges children may be struggling to express.
They noted that while tantrums are often a normal part of development, consistent outbursts, mood swings, withdrawal, or sleep issues may signal a child’s need for emotional support and should be taken seriously.
Speaking at the sidelines of the recent Child and Adolescent Mental Health Summit, a Professor of Psychiatry, Tinuola Gunwa-Ajayi, warned that parents who fail to recognise the emotional cues embedded in tantrums risk missing early signs of mental health struggles.
If left unaddressed, the child and adolescent psychiatrist noted that it could escalate into more serious conditions during adolescence or adulthood.
“Children throw tantrums, but they don’t throw tantrums just because they want to throw tantrums. There’s always something, and even if we feel like it’s insignificant, throwing tantrums in itself is something that we should pay attention to. If a previously bubbly child who was outspoken begins to withdraw, doesn’t want to go out, struggles with sleep and eating, or no longer enjoys things they used to—that’s a red flag.
“That’s not the time to say, ‘If she doesn’t want to go, let her stay home’. That’s the time to pay attention and ask meaningful questions.” Thankfully, over the past year, many parents have realised that mental health is real. The same goes for anxiety—if your child suddenly refuses to go to school or avoids social interaction or even regular chores, those are alarm bells. Don’t dismiss them. Take them seriously and seek help,” she said at the summit organised by Heritage Gardens.
Gunwa-Ajayi, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Heritage Gardens, urged parents to adopt a more attentive and intentional approach to communication, highlighting the importance of one-on-one time with their children to better understand what they may be going through.
“So what I would advise, and I suggest parents do, is look for a particular time or day in the week where they dedicate to each child. Apart from the obvious evening time banter after school, it’s important to check in regularly with your children and ask about how their day went, school activities, and things like that.
“But also, parents must dedicate a particular period to their children. It could be a Saturday afternoon and say, ‘Tito, this is your own time, let’s have a conversation. This one hour is for you, and anything you want to tell me, I’m all yours,’ with undivided attention, no phones, nothing, no TV,” she said.
The mental health expert added, “Each parent should make it a point of duty if they’re the ones who collect their wards from school to ask, ‘How was your day?’ and you’ll be amazed how much will come out of it. By shutting them down or dismissing their concerns, you might be dismissing something vital, and you may never know.
“So I would say, personally, as overwhelmed as we are, parents should create time intentionally. Be intentional in creating a blocked period over the weekend. That way, whatever anxiety the child has during the week, they look forward to discussing that anxiety on Saturday or Sunday, knowing fully well that they’ve got mom or dad’s undivided attention during that blocked period.”
The don stressed the need for awareness, open conversations, and professional support where necessary, to protect the mental well-being of children.
Also, a UK-based paediatrician, Dr. Ebi Oginni, stressed the importance of normalising mental health conversations.
According to her, 1 in 6 teenagers suffer from mental health difficulties in the UK, and suicide is now the number 1 cause of death in the teenage population in the UK
Citing another UK data, she noted that 25% of adults with mental health difficulties started showing signs in their teenage years.
Oginni, however, advised the participants to recognise when they need help, know where to get help from, adding that they should leverage their community to get help, which includes their parents, trusted friend, youth worker, a coach, or counselor.
On mental health skills to adopt, she recommended journaling, affirmations, breath work, talk therapy, and meditation.
Speaking on the importance of the summit, Heritage Garden’s Governance and Compliance Manager, Theresa Gunwa-Jatto, said the event was to shed light on mental health issues among children and adolescents.
“It’s to shed some light on areas that have been a little bit dim over the last decade or so. Mental health, especially in developing countries, is something that has been shied away from and stigmatised a lot.
“And even though it has become very popular now you hear a lot of people just kind of using the phrase, ‘Oh, my mental health, my mental health’, I find that many of us still don’t know the full implication of what mental health disorders can bring, or the negative impact that mental health disorders can have,” she said.
Gunwa-Jatto noted that to ensure properly groomed young Nigerians, stakeholders must pay attention to issues bordering on mental health from childhood.
“When you want to deal with something, it’s usually better to start from the roots. When you start with children, you’re making a difference because they’re growing up with this knowledge. It’s easier to change the orientation of children than to do that with adults. If you’re trying to change the orientation of an adult now, you have to do a lot more work.
“But if you’re training the children as they’re growing up now to recognise some of these things, so they can identify them in themselves or even in their classmates or in their friends, it definitely would make the world a better place. It makes people behave properly. It helps you identify situations in people. It reduces stigmatisation. It reduces, perhaps, even bullying in school,” she said.
The governance and compliance manager noted that over 40 participants attended the two-day summit.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
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