http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/health/view/1075616/1/.html

SINGAPORE : Ten-year-old Eddie was a disruptive student in class. Adept at annoying his teachers, he was constantly on detention during lunch time.

And although he was the "class clown" whose crazy antics tickled his classmates, Eddie did not appear to have many friends in school.

His teacher-in-charge noted that she found him "hard work" and she was losing his patience with him.

Without a clearer understanding of Eddie, it is easy to label him as a troublemaker. However, clinical psychologist Lyn Worsley, a child, adolescent and family therapist, told TODAY that such cases are not always so straightforward.

In Eddie's case, it was found that his poor behaviour in school was a manifestation of childhood stress. Eddie was one of the many children with behavioral problems Ms Worsley, director of Alpha Counselling Services, sees at her clinic in Sydney.

Author of The Resilience Doughnut: The Secret of Strong Kids, a resource book that helps young people through stressful times, Ms Worsley will be in town later this month to talk about building resilience in children at a public forum organised by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).

According to her, Eddie's family life appeared to be a difficult one. His parents worked full time in their own business and this meant that Eddie was left alone most of the time. He rarely talked to his parents due their exhaustion and distraction.

"While this appears to be unrelated to Eddie's significant behaviour problems in school, Eddie's stress was evident in his inability to relate with others and express his needs," she said.