If You Are Worried About Your Child, You Are in the Right Place
Every parent knows the feeling: something is different about your child. Maybe they used to love school and now refuse to go. Maybe they are angrier than you've ever seen them, or quieter than they've ever been. Maybe a teacher has raised a concern. Maybe your teenager has said something that frightened you.
Whatever has brought you here, the most important thing to know is this: early, specialist support makes a profound difference to children and young people's mental health outcomes. The brain is still developing through childhood and adolescence - and with the right help at the right time, many of the difficulties children face are highly treatable.
At Athena Behavioral Health, our Child and Adolescent Psychiatry team combines clinical expertise with a genuine understanding of what families go through when a child is struggling. We see the child in front of us - not just a diagnosis. And we work with the whole family, because healing rarely happens in isolation.
Children's Mental Health in India: What the Data Tells Us
Mental health difficulties in children and adolescents are far more common than most parents realise - and far more treatable when identified early. The picture in India is one that demands attention:
| 7.3% | of children aged 13–17 in India meet criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition (NMHS India, 2016) |
| 50% | of all adult mental health conditions first emerge before the age of 14 (WHO) |
| 80% | of children with mental health conditions in India receive no formal treatment |
| 1 in 4 | Indian adolescents reports experiencing significant depressive symptoms in any given year |
| 9.8% | prevalence of ADHD among school-age children in India - one of the highest rates globally (ICMR) |
| 36% | rise in reported adolescent self-harm and suicidal ideation in India between 2019 and 2023 |
| 12–15 yrs | average age of first presentation for anxiety disorders - yet average age of first treatment is 24 |
The gap between when difficulties begin and when a child receives help is often years. During those years, a child's confidence, academic development, friendships, and family relationships can all be significantly affected. Getting a proper assessment - even if it rules out a clinical concern - is never wasted time.
When Should You Seek a Psychiatric Assessment for Your Child?
Parents often wait - hoping things will improve, worried about stigma, or unsure whether what they are seeing is 'normal' development or something that needs professional attention. The following signs, particularly when they persist for more than a few weeks or represent a change from your child's usual self, are worth taking seriously:
| Condition | Signs in Children (5–12) | Signs in Adolescents (13–18) |
|---|---|---|
| Anxiety & Worry | School refusal, frequent stomach aches or headaches with no medical cause, excessive clinginess, fear of separation, night terrors | Panic attacks, avoidance of social situations, constant reassurance-seeking, inability to attend school or exams |
| Depression & Low Mood | Persistent sadness, irritability, loss of interest in play, withdrawal from friends, changes in sleep or appetite | Prolonged low mood, loss of pleasure in things they used to enjoy, hopelessness, talking about death or feeling worthless |
| ADHD | Unable to sit still, very easily distracted, impulsive, difficulty following instructions, falling behind at school | Disorganised, procrastinating, poor time management, difficulty completing tasks, underperforming despite high intelligence |
| Self-Harm & Suicidal Thoughts | Rare at this age but any talk of 'not wanting to be here' must be taken seriously immediately | Cuts, burns, or marks on the body; giving away possessions; statements about hopelessness or being a burden |
| Behavioural Problems | Extreme tantrums beyond typical age, aggression, cruelty to animals, persistent lying, property destruction | Serious rule-breaking, violence, substance use, running away, school exclusion, legal difficulties |
| Eating & Body Image | Unusual food rituals, extreme pickiness beyond typical, rapid weight changes | Restriction, bingeing, purging, obsessive calorie counting, extreme fear of weight gain |
| Trauma Responses | Nightmares, regression (bedwetting, thumb-sucking), clinginess after a frightening event | Flashbacks, hypervigilance, emotional numbing, avoidance of anything connected to a traumatic event |
If your child has expressed thoughts of suicide or self-harm, please seek help today. Call Athena's team directly or take your child to the nearest emergency department.
Conditions We Assess and Treat
Athena's Child and Adolescent Psychiatry team has clinical expertise across the full range of mental health conditions affecting young people. Our approach is evidence-based, developmentally informed, and always adapted to the individual child's age, temperament, family context, and cultural background.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
ADHD is one of the most commonly misunderstood conditions in Indian children. It is not about bad behaviour or poor parenting - it is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting attention, impulse control, and activity levels, rooted in differences in brain development. Left unaddressed, it can significantly affect a child's academic achievement, self-esteem, and relationships. At Athena, we conduct comprehensive ADHD assessments - including psychiatric evaluation and, where needed, psychometric testing - and offer a full treatment package: medication management where appropriate, behavioural therapy, parent training, and school liaison.
Anxiety Disorders in Children & Teenagers
Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in young people, and one of the most responsive to treatment. It shows up differently across ages: separation anxiety and specific phobias in younger children; social anxiety, generalised anxiety, and panic disorder in adolescents. Many anxious children are mistakenly described as 'shy', 'sensitive', or 'difficult' - and their anxiety goes unrecognised for years. We offer evidence-based psychological treatment (primarily Cognitive Behavioural Therapy adapted for children), parental guidance, and psychiatric assessment where medication might support treatment.
Depression in Children & Adolescents
Childhood depression is real, clinically distinct from adult depression, and often missed - partly because it can look more like irritability and anger than sadness. Teenage depression is the leading cause of disability among adolescents globally. At Athena, we take depression in young people very seriously. Our assessment goes beyond symptoms to understand the family, social, academic, and biological factors involved. Treatment typically combines psychotherapy with parental support work and, where clinically indicated, carefully managed psychiatric medication - always with full informed consent from the young person and their parents.
ADHD-Related Learning Difficulties & School Problems
Academic difficulties that stem from underlying attention, processing, or learning differences require specialist assessment rather than tuition. We work with child psychiatrists and educational psychologists to distinguish between ADHD, specific learning difficulties (dyslexia, dyscalculia), intellectual developmental differences, and anxiety-driven underperformance. Our assessment reports can be used to support school accommodations and educational plans.
Adolescent Self-Harm & Suicidal Ideation
Self-harm among teenagers - cutting, burning, or other forms of hurting the body - is not 'attention- seeking'. It is almost always a signal of significant emotional distress that the young person does not yet have the tools to manage. Suicidal thoughts in adolescents require immediate, specialist clinical assessment. Athena has a dedicated protocol for assessing and managing self-harm and suicidal ideation in young people, and our facilities include inpatient care if a period of psychiatric admission is required for safety.
If your teenager is self-harming or has expressed suicidal thoughts, please do not wait. Call us directly today.
Behavioural & Conduct Difficulties
Persistent defiance, aggression, rule-breaking, and conduct problems can have many roots - undiagnosed ADHD, trauma, learning difficulties, family disruption, or a genuine conduct disorder. Understanding what is driving the behaviour is essential before any intervention can be effective. We offer comprehensive psychiatric and psychological assessment of behavioural difficulties, including behaviour management programmes, parent training, and family therapy where indicated.
Autism Spectrum Assessment & Support
Many children reach adolescence - and even adulthood - without a clear understanding of why social situations, sensory environments, or changes to routine feel so overwhelming. Athena offers comprehensive autism spectrum assessments conducted by experienced child psychiatrists and psychologists using gold-standard diagnostic tools. For families seeking clarity after years of confusion, a proper assessment can be life-changing.
Eating Disorders in Adolescents
Eating disorders - including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and ARFID - have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric condition. Early intervention is strongly associated with better outcomes. Athena's team works with adolescents and their families across the full spectrum of eating disorder severity, using a family-based treatment (FBT) approach for younger adolescents and individual therapy for older teens. Where medical stabilisation is required, we coordinate closely with paediatric physicians.
Childhood Trauma & Post-Traumatic Stress
Children who have experienced abuse, neglect, domestic violence, accidents, or other traumatic events may develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attachment difficulties, or complex emotional and behavioural presentations that are hard to understand without knowing the child's history. Athena's trauma-informed team offers specialist assessment and evidence-based treatment including Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT) and EMDR for children and adolescents.
Sleep Disorders in Children
Persistent sleep difficulties in children - trouble falling asleep, frequent night waking, nightmares, sleep paralysis - are often connected to anxiety, ADHD, or family stress. We assess and treat childhood sleep disorders with behavioural interventions tailored to the child's age and developmental level, and parental guidance on sleep hygiene.
Not sure which condition applies to your child? An initial consultation is the right first step - we can help you make sense of what you're seeing.
Who Will Be Working With Your Child
Every child and adolescent referred to Athena is seen by a specialist - not a general adult psychiatrist who occasionally sees young people. Our Child and Adolescent Psychiatry team includes professionals with specific postgraduate training and extensive experience working with children, teenagers, and families.
| Child & Adolescent Psychiatrists | MBBS + MD Psychiatry qualified clinicians with specialist training in child and adolescent mental health. Conduct psychiatric assessments, diagnose conditions, and manage medication where appropriate. |
| Clinical Child Psychologists | Postgraduate qualified psychologists specialising in evidence-based psychological therapies for children and adolescents - CBT, TF-CBT, DBT for teens, play therapy, and more. |
| Educational & Developmental Psychologists | Specialists in psychometric and educational assessments - cognitive testing, learning difficulty evaluations, ADHD assessments, and autism spectrum evaluations. |
| Family Therapists | Trained in systemic family therapy, supporting parents and siblings alongside the young person in treatment. Essential for eating disorders, conduct difficulties, and family conflict. |
| Child Occupational Therapists | Working with sensory processing differences, fine and gross motor development, and functional daily living skills - particularly for children with autism, ADHD, and developmental delays. |
| Parent Support Specialists | Delivering structured evidence-based parent training programmes (including Triple P and Webster-Stratton) for families of children with behavioural difficulties and ADHD. |
What Happens When Your Child Comes to Athena
Step 1 : Parent Consultation (Before the Child Is Seen)
In most cases, we begin with a parent-only consultation. This gives us the space to hear your concerns in full, take a detailed developmental history from birth onwards, and understand the family context - without your child feeling scrutinised before they have had a chance to trust us. It also gives us the information we need to plan the child's assessment session appropriately.
Step 2 : Child or Adolescent Assessment
The assessment session with your child is conducted by a specialist who is experienced in making young people feel comfortable. For children, assessments often incorporate play, drawing, or other age-appropriate approaches. For teenagers, we prioritise building a direct relationship - they need to feel that the clinician is their ally, not an extension of their parents' concerns. Assessment typically takes 60–90 minutes.
Step 3 : Feedback & Formulation
After assessment, we provide a clear verbal and written summary of our clinical findings - what we think is going on, why, what the evidence says about treating it, and what we recommend next. We do not use jargon. We make sure parents understand the formulation before we discuss treatment options.
Step 4 : Treatment
Treatment plans are tailored to the child, their diagnosis, their age, and the family's capacity. They may include individual psychotherapy, family sessions, parent training, school liaison, psychiatric medication, or a combination of these. We explain the evidence for every recommendation we make, and we discuss any medication carefully - including how it works, what the side effects are, and how we will monitor it.
Step 5 : Ongoing Support & Review
Children's needs change as they grow. We review treatment plans regularly, adjust as needed, and maintain an open door for parents who have questions between appointments. Where long-term support is needed, we provide it - and where a child has progressed well and no longer needs clinical input, we say so clearly.
For Parents: How to Support Your Child Through This Process
Coming to a psychiatric clinic can feel daunting for both children and parents. Here is what we want you to know:
You do not need to have a diagnosis in mind before calling us. 'Something doesn't feel right' is a completely valid reason to seek an assessment.
How you talk to your child about coming to see us matters. We can advise you on age- appropriate ways to explain the appointment before you arrive.
Children pick up on parental anxiety. The more matter-of-fact you can be - 'We're going to see someone who is really good at helping children with big feelings' - the more relaxed your child is likely to be.
Your child may not open up immediately. This is normal. Trust takes time, and our team is experienced in building it - at the child's pace, not ours.
You are not a bad parent because your child is struggling. Mental health conditions are not caused by parenting failure. They are conditions - and like all conditions, they respond to the right treatment.
For teenagers especially: they need to know that some of what they say to us is confidential from their parents. We explain our confidentiality framework clearly to every adolescent at the first appointment. There are limits - safety overrides confidentiality - but teenagers engage far better with clinicians they trust to keep their confidence.
Your child deserves specialist care. Book a consultation with Athena's Child & Adolescent Psychiatry team today.
Why Families Choose Athena for Child & Adolescent Mental Health Care
Athena Behavioral Health is one of India's few mental healthcare organisations with a dedicated Child and Adolescent Psychiatry service embedded within a full-spectrum clinical organisation. That means your child's care - whether it involves a straightforward anxiety assessment or something more complex - is held within a team that has every resource available.
We are NABH accredited, which means our clinical processes, safety standards, and record-keeping have been independently audited against national standards. Our child and adolescent clinicians hold recognised postgraduate qualifications and maintain active professional registration. We do not use locums or outsourced clinicians for our young patients.
We understand that choosing psychiatric care for your child is one of the most significant decisions a parent can make. We take that responsibility seriously - in how we communicate with you, in how we engage with your child, and in the quality of the clinical work we deliver.
Many of the families who come to Athena tell us the same thing: they wish they had come sooner. If you are reading this page, wondering whether to pick up the phone - please do.
