How would you diagnose this???

Question

A child is scared of dark and monsters that may be under the bed and in the closet. When some he/she hears some noise like the fridge, or the wind outside, he/she thinks that someone is there, so he/she has to check that everything is safe. The child also has to check that no one is under the bed at night, before he/she goes to bed. Is this normal behavior? Help, it's my homework to analyze it!!!

Answer 1

You'd be surprised at the number of children (and parents) who deal with this everyday. I would not call it abnormal because so many children have this issue. A child's mind is (unlike some adults) always "open" to things that most would say is abnormal.

Answer 2

These are all common childhood fears. Children are blessed with wonderful imaginations, and can see the monster that the rest of us see as the pile of laundry on the floor. When the fridge makes a noise, it is really the escaped lunatic coming for them. Reassuring them, loving them, and always being understanding goes a long way in helping the child outgrow it.

Answer 3

Most children are afraid of the dark; I know I was. And most have a fear of something being under the bed or in the closet, but if the child is overly anxious, it could be Nyctophobia. This is an absolute pathological fear of the dark.

Answer 4

Check under the bed and in the closet with the child, to reassure them. Get them a large ray gun, the type with lights and noise, and show them how to use it on monsters, and let them sleep with it. A nightlight and a radio, turned up but off station so it produces only "white noise" may help.

Answer 5

The child may have seen a film or programme with this in and appllied it to his life. He may have made a connection with the dark and another fear, similar to the study of Little Hans. The fear of something else may just have come out in this way. It isn't anything to worry about. Talk to the child about their fear. If in doubt tell the parent to seek medical advice. Most young children are afraid of the dark

Answer 6

Some of it is normal childhood behavior, but if it's extensive, and the child simply CANNOT go to bed without checking under it, or CANNOT just ignore the sounds, I'd say OCD and maybe paranoia.

Answer 7

i have a 2.5 year old,if she behaved like that i would be worried.not so much the dark bit,the rest of it seems like a kind of paranoia from maybe a trauma.