Effects of Sensory Processing Disorder on Mental Health

Sensory processing disorders are quite common but often overlooked or undiagnosed. Those who struggle with Sensory Processing Disorder can present as rigid, anxious, distracted, fearful and many other presentations that are often misunderstood. A child who cringes at tags in their clothes may be resistant to getting dressed or wearing certain clothing and may appear to be oppositional when they are truly just experiencing high levels of discomfort. There are many ways Sensory Processing Disorders impact on our overall mental health. It is something that Mental Health Clinicians should be aware of when performing an assessment. Working closely in conjunction with an Occupational Therapist can help to relieve feelings of discomfit, while working with a Mental Health Clinician can be an equally impacting benefit. Keeping an open mind during assessments and referring a client out for further evaluation is not “passing the buck”. It is the addition of another skill set to help balance and meet all the needs of a client.
Signs and symptoms of sensory processing disorder
The symptoms of SPD will vary from person to person in both type and severity. Some individuals with sensory processing disorder will be overly responsive to stimuli, while others may not respond at all. For example, one person may scream in pain when gently touched, while another person may be incapable of feeling pain at all. Different symptoms that may be present across the spectrum of SPD severity may include:
Behavioral symptoms:
Sudden aggressive outbursts
Throwing tantrums
Has a difficult time engaging in conversations or play
Excessively high or excessively low activity level
Blinks, squints, or rubs one’s eyes frequently
Resists certain grooming activities
Illegible handwriting
Physical symptoms:
Impaired coordination
Bumping into things
Overly sensitive to, or incapable of sensing, touch
Abnormally high or low pain threshold
Fine and/or gross motor delays
Avoids eating certain foods due to texture or consistency
Cognitive symptoms:
Speech and language delays
Inability to remain focused
Poor attention span
Overly sensitive to volume or frequency of sounds
Becomes easily overstimulated in group settings
Psychosocial symptoms:
Low sense of self-worth
Onset of anxiety
Onset of depression
Difficulty developing a sense of independence
I have seen numerous children brought to therapy by parents labeling them as Confrontational, Inflexible, Difficult, Angry or Anxious when these behaviors were a result of Sensory Processing Disorders not Mental Health issues. First and foremost, I am a Mental Health Counselor however I am trained to look at all possible impacting factors and am more then happy to have a team approach to helping a child feel more comfortable in their own skin. Do any of these symptoms resonate with you or your child?