Children and adolescents with mental health issues need to get help as soon as possible. A variety of signs may point to mental health disorders or serious emotional disturbances in children or adolescents. Pay attention if a child or adolescent you know has any of these warning signs:

A child or adolescent is troubled by feeling:

• Sad and hopeless for no reason, and these feelings do not go away.
• Very angry most of the time and crying a lot or overreacting to things.
• Worthless or guilty often.
• Anxious or worried often.
• Unable to get over a loss or death of someone important.
• Extremely fearful or having unexplained fears.
• Constantly concerned about physical problems or physical appearance.
• Frightened that his or her mind either is controlled or is out of control.

A child or adolescent experiences big changes, such as:

• Showing declining performance in school.
• Losing interest in things once enjoyed.
• Experiencing unexplained changes in sleeping or eating patterns.
• Avoiding friends or family and wanting to be alone all the time.
• Daydreaming too much and not completing tasks.
• Feeling life is too hard to handle.
• Hearing voices that cannot be explained.
• Experiencing suicidal thoughts.

A child or adolescent experiences:

• Poor concentration and is unable to think straight or make up his or her mind.
• An inability to sit still or focus attention.
• Worry about being harmed, hurting others, or doing something "bad".
• A need to wash, clean things, or perform certain routines hundreds of times a day, in order to avoid an unsubstantiated danger.
• Racing thoughts that are almost too fast to follow.
• Persistent nightmares.

A child or adolescent behaves in ways that cause problems, such as:

• Using alcohol or other drugs.
• Eating large amounts of food and then purging, or abusing laxatives, to avoid weight gain.
• Dieting and/or exercising obsessively.
• Violating the rights of others or constantly breaking the law without regard for other people.
• Setting fires.
• Doing things that can be life threatening.
• Killing animals.

The above information is provided courtesy of www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov.

Helpful Resources

Family & Children's Service: Family & Children's Service provides a variety of innovative services, programs and initiatives in Minnesota.  They help to "change lives through counseling, family support services, violence intervention, community building, family life education and public policy advocacy."  Family & Children's Service is also a partner of the Mosaic.

National Institute of Mental Health: The National Institute of Mental Health is a division of the National Institute of Health.  This website provides helpful information about: common child and adolescent mental health issues; treatment options; and research articles about teen mental health.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: SAMHSA is a division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.  The SAMHSA website provides a helpful overview of the causes and signs of a mental health problem as well as suggested interventions for various mental health concerns.  Individuals can also order helpful pamphlets and resources at NO COST through this website.

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: On this webpage, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry provides a list of recommended questions to ask your healthcare professional before placing your child on psychiatric medications.

American Academy of Family Physicians: The American Academy of Family Physicians provides a helpful website regarding teen emotional health and warning signs of teen emotional and mental health problems.