What Are Behavioral and School-Related Problems?
Everyone occasionally acts out or makes a poor decision. Children and teens might talk back to teachers, ignore parental rules, or lash out at peers. Adults may engage in negative talk, manipulative behavior, or outbursts of anger. While these actions are often normal in isolated moments, they become a concern when such behavior becomes chronic and begins to negatively affect relationships, academic performance, or workplace responsibilities. That’s when it’s classified as a behavioral issue.
Who Experiences Behavioral or Academic Problems?
Behavioral issues frequently arise during childhood, adolescence, and teenage years, often leading to academic struggles. While some children naturally outgrow these behaviors, others may carry them into adulthood. Left unaddressed, these problems can worsen over time. It’s important to recognize that disruptive behavior, impulsivity, anxiety, anger, or defiance can emerge at any stage of life—from early childhood to college, adulthood, and even in later years. Any shift in behavior or worsening symptoms should be carefully evaluated.
Common Symptoms of Behavioral Issues
If your child—or even an adult—is regularly displaying the following behaviors, it may be a sign of underlying mental health conditions like ADD/ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), conduct disorders, anxiety, depression, autism spectrum disorder, or anger-related disorders such as intermittent explosive disorder:
- Angry outbursts or aggressive behavior
- Impulsivity or poor self-control
- Obsessive or compulsive actions
- Persistent negativity
- Feelings of nervousness or anxiety
- Manipulative behaviors
- Disruptive or inappropriate actions
- Trouble focusing or paying attention
- Defiant or argumentative behavior
What Causes Behavioral and Academic Challenges?
Behavioral issues can stem from a range of factors, including:
- Biological causes like head trauma or inherited traits
- Psychological conditions such as depression, ADHD, or other mental health disorders
- Environmental or social influences including family conflict, financial instability, chronic stress, poor diet, or exposure to trauma
Consequences of Unaddressed Behavioral and School Problems
Without proper diagnosis and treatment, behavioral and academic issues can lead to:
- Failing or repeating school grades
- School suspension or expulsion
- Struggles in finding or holding a job
- Ongoing relationship conflicts
- Constant arguments or oppositional behavior
- Trouble concentrating or staying on task
- Family instability
- Drug or alcohol abuse
- Emotional detachment or withdrawal
- Frequent interruptions or disruptive communication
- Weight gain or obesity
- Self-injurious behaviors
- Hoarding tendencies
- Legal issues or incarceration
- Obsessive thinking patterns
- Learning diaabilities
Why Misdiagnosis and Ineffective Treatment Happen So Often
Psychiatry is one of the few medical fields that doesn’t typically examine the actual organ it treats—the brain. In both pediatric and adult psychiatry, diagnoses are usually based on observed behaviors and reported symptoms. This approach can often lead to inaccurate diagnoses and trial-and-error treatment. Medications may work for some, but can worsen symptoms for others. In many cases, it takes months or even years for a child or adult to receive a proper diagnosis and effective care—resulting in prolonged distress.
At Amen Clinics, we utilize the world’s largest database of brain SPECT imaging to better understand behavioral health. Our research has proven that behavioral challenges are not one-size-fits-all. There are numerous subtypes of behavioral disorders, each with its own brain function patterns. Treating every child with impulsivity or every adult battling chronic negativity the same way simply doesn’t work. Identifying your unique brain pattern is key to achieving the correct diagnosis and the most personalized, effective treatment plan.