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Kids & Teens: 30 Overlooked Behaviors That May Signal Mental Illness

(Note: These behaviors don’t automatically mean a child has a diagnosis. But when they are frequent, extreme, or interfering with life, they may point to underlying mental health struggles.)

Emotional & Behavioral Signs

  1. Frequent tantrums beyond normal age – ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Anxiety

  2. Extreme stubbornness / refusal to accept rules – ODD, Conduct Disorder, Anxiety, Autism Spectrum Disorder

  3. Excessive lying (even about small things) – Conduct Disorder, PTSD, Anxiety

  4. Bullying others repeatedly – Conduct Disorder, Trauma Response, Early signs of Antisocial Personality Disorder

  5. Being bullied but hiding it – PTSD, Social Anxiety Disorder, Depression

  6. Aggression toward peers or siblings without clear reason – Depression, ADHD, PTSD

  7. Constant need for control (bossiness, meltdowns when things change) – Autism Spectrum Disorder, OCD, Anxiety

Social & Identity Signs

  1. Not making or keeping friends – Autism Spectrum Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Depression

  2. Difficulty with eye contact – Autism Spectrum Disorder, Social Anxiety

  3. Saying “I don’t fit in” or “I don’t belong” – Depression, Identity Disorders, Social Anxiety

  4. Becoming the class clown constantly – ADHD, Depression (masking sadness), Bipolar Disorder

  5. Clinginess / refusing to separate from parents (beyond expected age) – Separation Anxiety Disorder, PTSD

  6. Identity confusion (not knowing who they are, experimenting in risky ways, extreme changes in style/sexuality) – Borderline Personality Traits, Gender Dysphoria, Anxiety, Trauma

Cognitive & School-Related Signs

  1. Sudden drop in grades or school performance – ADHD, Depression, Anxiety, Trauma

  2. Extreme perfectionism in schoolwork or sports – OCD, Anxiety Disorders, Depression

  3. Daydreaming excessively or zoning out often – ADHD, Dissociation, Depression

  4. Inability to focus or sit still beyond age norms – ADHD, Anxiety, Autism Spectrum Disorder

  5. Avoiding sports, class projects, or activities once enjoyed – Depression, Social Anxiety Disorder

  6. Memory problems or forgetting things often – ADHD, PTSD, Depression

Physical & Lifestyle Signs

  1. Frequent headaches or stomachaches without medical cause – Anxiety, PTSD, Depression

  2. Very picky eating or refusing foods – ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder), OCD, Anxiety

  3. Sleeping too much or too little – Depression, Anxiety, PTSD

  4. Bedwetting, baby talk, or regression after trauma – PTSD, Anxiety, Depression

  5. Unexplained fatigue despite enough rest – Depression, Anxiety, Trauma

Obsessive & Risky Signs

  1. Obsessive handwashing, checking, or counting rituals – OCD, Anxiety Disorders

  2. Fixation on one topic or routine – Autism Spectrum Disorder, OCD

  3. Repetitive movements (rocking, flapping, pacing) – Autism Spectrum Disorder, Anxiety

  4. Compulsive video gaming or screen addiction – ADHD, Depression, Anxiety

  5. Talking excessively about death or wanting to disappear – Depression, PTSD, Early-Onset Bipolar Disorder

  6. Self-harm (cutting, scratching, burning, hitting self) – Depression, Borderline Personality Traits, PTSD

Children and teens often can’t explain their feelings with words, so their struggles show up in behaviors. What looks like “rebellion,” “shyness,” or “just being difficult” may actually be depression, anxiety, ADHD, autism, OCD, PTSD, or other conditions.

At Deliverance Nutrition, we believe early recognition saves lives. Pairing faith, prayer, and proper nutrition with professional support gives kids and teens the tools they need to heal and thrive.

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” – Proverbs 22:6

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