Your Child's Mental Health

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12 Questions Every Parent Should Ask

Does my child

1. Often seem sad, tired, restless, or out of sorts?

2. Spend a lot of time alone?

3. Have low self-esteem?

4. Have trouble getting along with family, friends, and peers?

5. Have frequent outbursts of shouting, complaining, or crying?

6. Have trouble performing or behaving in school?

7. Show sudden changes in eating patterns?

8. Sleep too much or not enough?

9. Have trouble paying attention or concentrating on tasks like homework?

10. Seem to have lost interest in hobbies like music or sports?

11. Show signs of using drugs and/or alcohol?

12. Talk about death or suicide?

If you answered yes to 4 or more of these questions, and these behaviors last longer than 2 weeks, you should seek professional help for your child.

For more information, contact:
SAMHSA's National Mental Health Information Center
800-789-2647
mentalhealth.samhsa.gov
11/21/00

Resources

American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
3615 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20016-3007
202-966-7300 or 800-333-7636
www.aacap.org
Anxiety Disorders Association of America
8730 Georgia Avenue, Suite 600
Silver Spring, MD 20910
240-485-1001
www.adaa.org
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
(formerly the National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association)
730 N. Franklin Street, Suite 501
Chicago, IL 60610-3526
312-642-0049 or 800-826-3632
www.dbsalliance.org
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
Colonial Place Three
2107 Wilson Blvd., Suite 300
Arlington, VA 22201-3042
703-524-7600
www.nami.org
National Institute of Mental Health
6001 Executive Boulevard
Room 8184, MSC 9663
Bethesda, MD 20892-9663
301-443-4513 or 800-421-4211
www.nimh.nih.gov
National Mental Health Association
2001 N. Beauregard Street - 12th Floor
Alexandria, VA 22311
703-684-7722 or 800-969-6642
www.nmha.org

These are suggested resources.
It is not meant to be a complete list.
FastFact1
Updated 1/2004