What is mental health?

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices.1 Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

Why is mental health important for overall health?

Mental and physical health are equally important components of overall health.  For example, depression increases the risk for many types of physical health problems, particularly long-lasting conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Similarly, the presence of chronic conditions can increase the risk for mental illness.2

Can your mental health change over time?

Yes, it’s important to remember that a person’s mental health can change over time, depending on many factors.  When the demands placed on a person exceed their resources and coping abilities, their mental health could be impacted. For example, if someone is working long hours, caring for a relative, or experiencing economic hardship, they may experience poor mental health.

How common are mental illnesses?

Mental illnesses are among the most common health conditions in the United States.

• More than 1 in 5 US adults live with a mental illness.

• Over 1 in 5 youth (ages 13-18) either currently or at some point during their life, have had a seriously debilitating mental illness.5

• About 1 in 25 U.S. adults lives with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression.6

What causes mental illness?

There is no single cause for mental illness. A number of factors can contribute to risk for mental illness, such as

• Adverse Childhood Experiences, such as trauma or a history of abuse (for example, child abuse, sexual assault, witnessing violence, etc.)

• Experiences related to other ongoing (chronic) medical conditions, such as cancer or diabetes

• Biological factors or chemical imbalances in the brain

• Use of alcohol or drugs

• Having feelings of loneliness or isolation

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Suicide Safety: Precautions at Home

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death for children, teens, and young adults in the United States. Although attempting and completing suicide is more common in children with depression and other mood disorders, impulsive suicide attempts can occur in those with no known history of mental illness. 

Following these steps can help to improve safety in your home:

Weapons: Research shows that having a gun or weapon in the home increases the risk of dying by suicide.

• Guns should be stored unloaded in a locked safe. Bullets should be also locked, but in a separate place.

• Gun safe keys or combination to the lock should be kept only by the adults in the house.

• Consider purchasing trigger locks for guns.

• When children and teens go to friends or relatives’ homes, ask about gun ownership and storage.

• Lock away knives, razor blades, and other sharp objects from children and teens.

Medications: Parents and caregivers should be in charge of the medications that are kept in the home.

• Keep all medications, both prescribed and non-prescribed (over the counter), in a locked box.

• An adult should hand out and control all prescribed and over the counter medications to children and adolescents.

• Keep track of all bottles of medication as well as the number of pills in each container, including those prescribed as over the counter medications (such as pain relief, allergy pills, vitamins, and supplements, etc) for every person and any pets in the home.

• Dispose of all expired and no longer used prescribed medications by bringing them to your local pharmacy or fire station.

• Ask the parents of your child’s friends how their medications are stored in their home.

If substances that can be abused are kept in the home, they should be monitored and locked.

• Keep track of bottles of alcohol and lock them away. It is not enough to put these items "out of reach.”

• If marijuana is kept in the home, lock all forms of it in a lock box that only adults in the house have the lock or combination to.

• Talk with the parents of your child’s friends about how they store alcohol or marijuana in the home.

Other items can be used for self-harm and suicide.

• Keep your vehicle keys with you at all times or consider locking them in a lock box when not in use.

• Lock all toxic household cleaners, pesticides, and industrial chemicals away.

• Consider limiting ropes, electrical wire, and long cords within the home or lock them away.

• Secure and lock high level windows and access to rooftops.

Parents and caregivers should monitor the online activities of their children, watching for:

• Researching methods of suicide

• Purchasing of any materials or items that could be used for self-harm

• Spending time in chatrooms or social media sites dedicated to self-harm or suicide

• Receiving texts or direct messages from peers about suicide, calls for help or peer bullying

The risk of dying by suicide can be decreased when families and caregivers reduce access to ways children can harm themselves. If you are concerned that your child has been exhibiting signs that they are thinking about suicide, or expressing feelings of hopelessness or depression, please seek help from a child and adolescent psychiatrist or other mental health professional immediately for an emergency evaluation.

Source:  American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/suicide-safety-130.aspx 

Tarrant Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse (TCADA)

Phone: (817) 332-6329

Tarrant County MHMR

Pine Street/Billy Gregory (Screening)

Phone: (817) 569-5760

Pine Street

Phone: (817) 569-4600

Substance Abuse Outpatient Services

Phone: (817) 569-5750

Community Addiction Treatment Services

Phone: (817) 569-5250

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Central Office

Phone: (817) 332-3533

Al-Anon

For family members of those chemically addicted

Phone: (817) 336-2492

Narcotics Anonymous Central Office

Phone: (817) 624-9525

Sunshine Club

For children of chemically dependent families

Phone: (817) 332-6329

Self-Injury In Children and Adolescents

Self-injury is a complex behavior and symptom that results from a variety of factors. Adolescents who have difficulty talking about their feelings may show their emotional tension, physical discomfort, pain, and low self-esteem with self-injurious behaviors.  

Some forms may include:

Carving Scratching Picking/pulling skin or hair

Marking Branding Burning/abrasions

Cutting Biting Head banging

Bruising Hitting Excessive body piercing

Tattooing

Evaluation by a mental health professional may assist in identifying and treating the underlying causes of self-injury. Feelings of wanting to die or kill themselves are reasons for adolescents to seek professional care immediately.