"My child has been getting angry easily recently, throwing things, hitting people, and even locking themselves in their room to self-harm..."
At the adolescent mental health clinic, a mother approached Professor Su Zhaoxia, her voice choked with emotion, seeking help.
Xiao Ming (pseudonym), a 14-year-old girl in her second year of junior high school, was originally an excellent student with a well-behaved personality. However, due to a combination of factors such as academic pressure, interpersonal relationships at school, and high expectations from her family, her temperament has undergone a drastic change over the past year or so - she is extremely emotionally unstable, often losing her temper over trivial matters, throwing things at home, and even physically abusing her parents. When studying, she is completely unable to concentrate, and her grades have plummeted.
What worried the family even more was that Xiao Ming began to exhibit self-harming behaviors. When she felt down, she often cried alone, her appetite grew worse, and sometimes she even had thoughts of "not wanting to live anymore". She also suffered from frequent headaches.
"When the child first came to the outpatient clinic, she was like a tense hedgehog, sitting there with a wary gaze. As soon as her mother spoke, she slammed the water glass down on the table. Only after her mother, with red eyes, retreated to the door did she slightly relax," Professor Su Chaoxia recalled. "This extreme emotion of 'attacking others and hurting oneself' is essentially due to the child's immense inner pain finding no outlet - it's not that she's bad, it's that she's sick."
After systematic evaluation, Xiaoming was diagnosed with emotional and behavioral disorders that originated during childhood and adolescence.
The assessment revealed that the long-term accumulated high academic pressure, difficulties in peer relationships, and invisible expectations from family have far exceeded the psychological endurance of this adolescent girl.
Her frequent headaches, difficulty concentrating, and intense mood swings are all genuine reflections of psychological distress in her body and behavior.
Comprehensive multi-dimensional intervention to assist children in overcoming emotional distress
In response to Xiaoming's complex situation, Professor Su's team quickly formulated a comprehensive intervention plan combining "medication, psychology, and family support". Through three-dimensional coordination and precise correction, the plan comprehensively addressed the child's psychological distress:
✅ Pharmacological intervention: Stabilize physical and mental states
Based on her specific symptoms, targeted medications are selected to quickly stabilize her mood, alleviate anxiety, improve sleep and appetite, and eliminate physical discomfort, laying a solid foundation and creating a favorable condition for subsequent psychological treatment.
✅ Psychotherapy: Reshaping Emotional Cognition
Through cognitive behavioral therapy, help Xiao Ming identify and regulate negative automatic thoughts such as "I'm no good" and "I can't do anything right", breaking the cycle of negative cognition. Guide the child to learn to express emotions through verbal communication and reasonable venting, completely abandoning extreme venting methods such as smashing objects and self-harm, and gradually rebuild healthy and positive emotional management skills.
✅ Family Support: Rebuilding a Warm Harbor
Provide professional guidance to parents on transforming their educational and communication styles, abandoning past practices of criticism, accusation, and high-pressure demands, and shifting towards patient listening, empathetic understanding. Dissolve the oppressive atmosphere within the family, build a safe, warm, and inclusive emotional support system for children, and make the family a psychological haven for them.
"Many people have misunderstandings about psychiatry, thinking it is either just 'talking' or 'prescribing medication'," Professor Su Zhaoxia emphasized. In fact, modern medical psychiatry is a professional discipline that integrates precise assessment, diversified psychotherapy, scientific pharmacotherapy, and long-term health management.
For severe depression patients like Xiaoming, who primarily exhibit emotional outbursts and self-injury behaviors, medication to quickly stabilize emotions, psychological therapy to teach children to express emotions rather than attack or harm themselves, and family support to provide a safe haven - all three are indispensable.
Scientific intervention yields positive results, helping the teenager regain a sunny disposition
After a period of systematic intervention, Xiaoming's condition has undergone a gratifying change.
During the recent follow-up examination, she proactively told Professor Su, "I've been in a good mood recently. I've been particularly happy when going out to play with friends, and occasionally I help my family with cooking."
Currently, Xiaoming's sleep and diet have fully returned to normal. She is able to concentrate when studying and her mindset has become increasingly calm and stable. Even when occasional negative emotions arise, she actively cooperates with adjustments and follows doctor's advice for conditioning. She has completely bid farewell to the self-harm as a way of venting and has regained her sunny and cheerful teenage appearance.
Expert Introduction
Professor Su Zhaoxia is currently a specially-appointed expert at the Adolescent Mental Health Clinic of Hainan Chengmei Hospital. She has been fully sponsored by the China Scholarship Council to serve as an international visiting and research scholar at the Department of Clinical Psychology, Western Michigan University, and the Institute of Mental Health, Columbia University in New York. She has delved deeply into cutting-edge academic fields and introduced advanced foreign psychological treatment techniques and new concepts of mental health into China.
Medical expertise
Diagnosis and treatment of anxiety, depression, insomnia disorders, common mental and psychological issues in children and adolescents, as well as various psychosomatic diseases. Specializes in psychological intervention and comprehensive treatment for emotional and behavioral issues, learning difficulties, and family education in adolescents, with extensive clinical experience in diagnosis and treatment.
Adolescent Mental Health Clinic
The Adolescent Mental Health Clinic of Hainan Chengmei Hospital is led by Professor Su Zhaoxia, integrating high-quality resources from multiple disciplines such as psychological assessment, psychotherapy, and psychiatry, and establishing a cooperation platform for outstanding mental health experts both within the island and across the country.
The outpatient clinic implements precise, standardized, and individualized diagnosis and treatment for adolescent psychological issues, creating a one-stop mental health service model that maximizes the savings of time and economic costs for patients and their families. It comprehensively protects the spiritual oasis of adolescents and escorts their healthy growth.
[Clinic Hours]
Professor Su Chaoxia visits the clinic regularly every month (please refer to the hospital's official account for specific clinic hours)
[Visit location]
Hainan Chengmei Hospital Seventh Clinic Area (Adolescent Mental Health Clinic)