My son is aggressive & short-tempered.HELP!

My ten-year-old son is aggressive and short-tempered. On some occasions he has also hit himself. In school too, he gets into fights with classmates. I am very worried. Please advise.

- Shruti Deshpande

I’m sure it’s distressing to see your son display aggressive behaviour and harm himself. I recommend that you consult a professional psychologist/counselor to determine if there are any underlying mental health conditions such as ADHD, anxiety or depression. You could also do the following:

Teach and model positive coping skills such as ways to manage anger and frustration. These include deep breathing and mindfulness exercises. Also encourage him to develop hobbies and pursue extracurricular interests such as sports and music. 

Encourage your son to identify the factors triggering aggressive behaviour so that he can learn to recognise them when he is upset and develop anger management skills.