Bill Gates: My parents took me to a child psychologist
I <i>wish</i> my parents had taken me to a psychologist when I was having trouble in school. Instead, I was usually punished. I was raised by conservative, psychiatrophobic parents and I never got the help I needed until after college. I&#x27;m in my early 20&#x27;s. I was lucky to have the meta-cognitive awareness needed to identify that something was wrong, and that it had gotten worse. After recently getting care from a professional my quality of life and productivity improved across the board. It almost breaks my heart how much it has helped me. I feel as if I could have been so much more successful in academia. I definitely would have led less of guilt-ridden academic life.<p>Even if you do not have anxiety, major depression, or other disorder - I think basic psychological therapy is something almost anyone can benefit from. We like to think friends and family are all we need for help during a rough time or troubling period, but, no matter how well intentioned they might be, they are usually the least qualified to help you. It&#x27;s important to have a professional to talk to in these situations. With children this is even more so.<p>Psychiatrists can see the red-flags that others often ignore, or brush off as personality quirks. This was the case with me for long time. I would have had a better academic life if the &quot;ADD is bullshit&quot; meme never happened. For me, this prevalent mentality prevented me from receiving the health-care I needed, especially with regards to my very private (and personally shameful) crippling anxiety. I hope one day basic psychological check ups for children become as routine as a dentist visits. There are so many benefits to keeping tabs on your mental health and the only downside is the current social stigma.<p>If your child is acting up, consistently has trouble with areas such as organization, or is all over the place with grades - please don&#x27;t assume he or she is lazy or doesn&#x27;t want to succeed. Help them by taking them to someone who can see things you cannot, and possibly find an easily solvable underlying problem.