Warning of Dangerous “Toxic Relationships” for Children: Egyptian Mental Health Consultant Discusses Behavioral Changes and Emotional Disturbances

Cairo: “The Gulf”

A prominent mental health consultant in Egypt warned of the danger of what he described as a “toxic relationship” for children, and the psychological problems that could lead to, and serious behavioral changes, that could lead to emotional disturbances.

Dr. Adel Sultan, Professor of Mental Health at Kasr Al-Aini Faculty of Medicine, emphasized the need for parents to pay attention to the behavioral changes that may appear in the child, especially during early adolescence, which are the changes that his entry may reveal. into an unequal friendship relationship, especially if he did not make friends with people older than him.

He identified a group of behaviors that could show this relationship, the most important of which is changing the child’s behavior for the worse, through sudden changes in positive qualities gradually, as a kind of imitation of his friend, Sultan said that unhealthy relationships often involve a state of emotional turmoil, which appears on the surface The child, as well as other behavioral disorders, where there is a greater frequency lie, and his academic level may decrease significantly, after some new traits and behaviors are introduced. for him, such as neglect and indifference, as well as what the child gets from the habit of lack of boundaries and privacy, so he and his friend begin to get closer.

The child may suffer from uncertainty and a worried feeling towards his friend, but that will not prevent him, according to the Sultan, from constantly justifying his friend’s mistakes, which he may be a very irresponsible, rebellious child, deviating from the norm, and this toxic relationship often produces certain results, where the child is controlled by his friend, and may the case reaches the point of controlling his personality, so his behavior is disturbed and his personality is affected, so he becomes an introverted and isolated child. , and he will gradually separate his parents mentally, and he may suffer from preoccupation, tension, and anxiety all the time, and he may not feel that relationship, but he will continue with it even though.