Your Child's Mental Health

In young children:

• • Have frequent tantrums or are intensely irritable much of the time

  • Often talk about fears or worries

  • Complain about frequent stomach aches or headaches with no known medical cause

  • Are in constant motion and cannot sit quietly (except when they are watching videos or playing video games)

  • Sleep too much or too little, have frequent nightmares, or seem sleepy during the day

  • Are not interested in playing with other children or have difficulty making friends

  • Struggle academically or have experienced a recent decline in grades

  • Repeat actions or check things many times out of fear that something bad may happen.

In older children and adolescents:

• • Have lost interest in things that they used to enjoy

  • Have low energy

  • Sleep too much or too little, or seem sleepy throughout the day

  • Are spending more and more time alone, and avoid social activities with friends or family

  • Fear gaining weight, or diet or exercise excessively

  • Engage in self-harm behaviors (e.g., cutting or burning their skin)

  • Smoke, drink alcohol, or use drugs

  • Engage in risky or destructive behavior alone or with friends

  • Have thoughts of suicide

  • Have periods of highly elevated energy and activity, and require much less sleep than usual

  • Say that they think someone is trying to control their mind or that they hear things that other people cannot hear.