Prescription for Prevention and Treatment of Adolescent Psychological Disorders

Author: Wei Yali
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-02-01
Features:
1. Shattered the mirror psychological therapy - panoramic real depiction. Nini is a senior high school student in a key middle school in a province. From primary school to junior high school, she has always been the top student in her class and even in her grade. She is the kind of child who doesn’t need her mother to worry about, especially strong-willed, and is a particularly studious girl. However, after entering senior high school, her situation changed completely. Her academic performance declined steadily, and she developed a strong resistance and fear of going to school. In the three days before the new semester started, she couldn’t sleep all night, afraid of the upcoming competitive learning environment. When she came to my psychological clinic with her mother, who had traveled thousands of miles with her, she had already missed school for a month, and both mother and daughter were in a state of great anxiety. As soon as she saw me, Nini threw herself into my arms and started crying softly. I hugged her tightly, gently patting her shoulders, letting her vent her helplessness and fear. In the phone call before, I had already learned some of her situation. Her problem had persisted for over a year, and she had previously visited the local psychiatric department and taken antidepressants for half a year, with unsatisfactory improvement. This had made both her and her mother quite concerned about her condition. She wore two small braids, her eyes were dark and bright, set in a delicate melon-seed face, giving her an innocent and adorable appearance. What made me feel sad and heartbroken was that this girl, at the age of blossoming youth with a delicate, flower-like face, was completely unaware of the brilliance of a blooming flower, her brows tightly furrowed with deep worries.
In primary school, she would not give up until she got full marks. Her family was originally quite warm. Her mother was particularly hardworking and kind, and her father was a worker with little education but loved her deeply and had high expectations for her. He often said, “When you go to university, I will personally take you to the school gate and watch you enter the university.” Unfortunately, when she was just starting primary school, her father fell seriously ill and passed away without effective treatment, leaving her and her mother. The heavy weight of this blow gradually became apparent to her. Her mother was very strong, wiping away her tears and taking on the heavy burden of raising and nurturing her alone. To ensure she had enough to eat and wear, her mother took early retirement and opened a small dumpling shop, working tirelessly from dawn till dusk. She felt great empathy for her mother. Once, on a Sunday, she insisted on helping her mother at the shop, but her mother scolded her out. She said, “I would work myself to death and never let you lift a finger. You must never forget the expectations of your father and me for you. If you don’t study hard, it will be a disservice to me, and even more so to your deceased father.” That day, she went home crying. Her mother’s words made her, even at a young age, realize the responsibility she carried on her shoulders.
Her academic performance was already very good. From that day on, she paid even more attention in class and completed her homework more diligently. When teachers asked questions in class, she often raised her hand to answer, and as a result, the teachers had a very good impression of her, knowing she was a studious student. In the third grade of primary school, during a math test, she scored 98, the highest in the class. She happily told her mother, but unexpectedly, her mother scolded her for not getting full marks. Her joy turned to nothing. From then on, as long as she didn’t get full marks, she would blame herself, but she managed to achieve full marks in every math test. The praise of her teachers, the smile of her mother, and the envy of her classmates made her subconsciously become obsessed with chasing scores and rankings. However, at that time, the confidence and happiness brought by learning sparked her strong interest in studying and a desire to excel, and neither she nor her mother realized that there was anything psychologically wrong with this mindset. P3-5