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Sunday, 20 July 2008
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Parents
Your child's mental health
If you are worried about the behaviour of your child or if your child appears to be unusually distressed you might need to do some investigating to get to the heart of the problem.
Your child's mental health
Children face many pressures in our modern society. Most do fine, but some find it difficult to cope or do not get the support they need to feel safe, happy and confident. If your child is feeling distressed or troubled, they may express their unhappiness in a number of ways:
- not sleeping, having nightmares, wetting the bed
- becoming disruptive in class
- getting fussy about food or cleanliness, or developing eating problems
- becoming sad and depressed
- trying to harm themselves
- having trouble making friends, or finding relationships at home difficult
- becoming fearful and resentful
- getting into fights and becoming aggressive
Equally, your instincts may tell you there is something wrong.
If you are worried about your child, you could:
- talk to your doctor or health visitor - they may refer you to special services in your area for children, young people and families
- talk to your child's school - the school may be able to help sort out difficulties, provide extra support and make allowances for your child
- contact social services to find out what support is available for your family
- find out about youth counselling organisations in your area through Youth Access on 020 8772 9900
Supporting organisations:
- Young Minds on 0800 018 2138 - a parents' information service providing confidential advice for any adult concerned about the mental health or emotional well-being of a child or young person
- Parentline Plus helpline on 0808 800 2222 - provides help and information for anyone caring for children
- ChildLine on 0800 1111 - offers help to young people in trouble or danger
- Download factsheets on a wide range of mental health issues from The Royal College of Psychiatrists (opens new window)
- youth in mind website - advice on mental illness for parents, children and teenagers (opens new window)
- Parentline plus website (opens new window)
- @ease website (opens new window)
- Understanding childhood distress (opens new window)
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