National
Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day is May 8!
Parents
and caregivers: Help your child by knowing these facts about mental health.
Mental Health Is Important
Mental health is how people think, feel, and act as they face life’s situations.
It affects how people handle stress, relate to one another, and make decisions.
Mental health influences the ways individuals look at themselves, their lives,
and others in their lives. Like physical health, mental health is important at
every stage of life.
All aspects of our lives are affected by
our mental health. Caring for and protecting our children is an obligation and
is critical to their daily lives and their independence.
- Studies show that at least one in
five children and adolescents have a mental health disorder. At least one in
10, or about 6 million people, have a serious emotional disturbance. (U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. [1999]. Mental Health: A Report
of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services.)
Signs of Mental Health Disorders Can
Signal a Need for Help
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.
Important Messages About Child and
Adolescent Mental Health:
- Every child’s
mental health is important.
- Many children have
mental health problems.
- These problems are
real, painful, and can be severe.
- Mental health
problems can be recognized and treated.
- Caring families and
communities working together can help.
Information is
Available
- In Cuyahoga County,
call the 24-hour mental health information and referral line, 216-623-6888.
Excerpted from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Fact Sheet from the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/CA-0004/default.asp)