12 Questions You Should Ask About Your Child's Mental Health

12 questions to help assess whether your child might have a mental health problem.

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.

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