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Getting
Help
Know When to Seek Help
for Your Child
Parents are usually the first
to recognize that their child has a problem with emotions or
behavior. Still, the decision to seek professional help can
be difficult and painful for a parent. The first step is to
gently try to talk to the child. An honest open talk about feelings
can often help. Parents may choose to consult with the child's
physicians, teachers, members of the clergy, or other adults
who know the child well. These steps may resolve the problems
for the child and family.
Following are a few signs which may
indicate that a child and adolescent psychiatric evaluation
will be useful.
| YOUNGER
CHILDREN |
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Marked fall in school performance. |
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Poor grades in school despite
trying very hard. |
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A lot of worry or anxiety, as
shown by regular refusal to go to school, go to sleep
or take part in activities that are normal for the child's
age. |
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Hyperactivity; fidgeting; constant
movement beyond regular playing. |
|
Persistent nightmares. |
|
Persistent disobedience or aggression
(longer than 6 months) and provocative opposition to authority
figures. |
|
Frequent, unexplainable temper
tantrums. |
| PRE-ADOLESCENTS
AND ADOLESCENTS |
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Marked change in school performance. |
|
Inability to cope with problems
and daily activities. |
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Marked changes in sleeping and/or
eating habits. |
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Many physical complaints. |
|
Sexual acting out. |
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Depression shown by sustained,
prolonged negative mood and attitude, often accompanied
by poor appetite, difficulty sleeping or thoughts of death. |
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Abuse of alcohol and/or drugs. |
|
Intense fear of becoming obese
with no relationship to actual body weight, purging food
or restricting eating. |
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Persistent nightmares. |
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Threats of self-harm or harm
to others. |
|
Self-injury or self destructive
behavior. |
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Frequent outbursts of anger,
aggression. |
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Threats to run away. |
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Aggressive or non-aggressive
consistent violation of rights of others; opposition to
authority, truancy, thefts, or vandalism. |
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Strange thoughts and feelings;
and unusual behaviors. |
If problems persist over an extended
period of time and especially if others involved in the child's
life are concerned, consultation with a child and adolescent
psychiatrist or other clinician specifically trained to work
with children may be helpful.
Copyright © 1997 by the American
Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
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