Mental Health and Self Care Resources

Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services

http://mha.ohio.gov

 MENTAL HEALTH RED FLAGS/WARNING SIGNS

One in five kids will experience a diagnosable emotional or behavioral problem before they become adults. What to Watch lists common warning signs of impending mental illness. The symptoms to watch are experienced now and then by most children. When to Worry outlines factors that suggest that professional help may be needed. Treatment, when an emotional or behavioral condition is mildly problematic, can offset increasing severity or possible crisis situations.

What to Watch For

• A sudden or unusual change in behavior or mood

• Frequent whining, crying, complaining

• Extreme sensitivity or shyness; an almost paralyzing fear of rejection

• Moodiness, sullen irritability, inappropriate and frequent anger or rage

• Prolonged periods of sadness, feeling empty, hopelessness

• A sudden drop in grades or in the quality of schoolwork

• Loss of interest or pleasure in things previously enjoyed

• Withdrawal or isolation from others

• Significant weight gain or loss

• Unnecessary anxiety, tension, high stress, low tolerance for frustration

• Continual fatigue; drowsiness, inability to fall asleep or stay asleep

• Difficulty concentrating – delayed responses

• Overactivity, increased physical agitation

• Forgetfulness, confusion, doing the wrong assignments, missing parts on tests

• Unusual interest or pleasure in violence, threats, or bullying

• Self-destructive behaviors: recklessness, substance abuse, self-injury, eating disorders

• Running Away

• Minor, vague physical complaints: headaches, stomach aches, fainting, nausea

• Prolonged or repeated interest in death, morbidity, or suicide

When to worry

All parents might see any of these symptoms in their children on occasion. It is time to seek professional help when:

• Symptoms appear in clusters

• Over a long period of time

• They are interfering with the child’s ability to function

From redflags.org

Mental Health “Red Flags” Parents Should Be Alert For:

Excessive sleeping, beyond usual teenage fatigue, which could indicate depression or substance​ abuse; difficulty in sleeping, insomnia, and other sleep disorders

•  Loss of self-esteem

•  Abandonment or loss of interest in favorite pastimes

• Unexpected and dramatic decline in academic performance

• Weight loss and loss of appetite, which could indicate an eating disorder

• Personality shifts and changes, such as aggressiveness and excess anger that are sharply out of character and could indicate psychological, drug, or sexual problems 

Key Mental Health Issues:

Depression

While all of us are subject to “the blues,” clinical depression is a serious medical condition requiring immediate treatment. Watch for:

•  Changes in sleep patterns

•  Unexpected weeping or excessive moodiness

•  Eating habits that result in noticeable weight loss or gain

•  Expressions of hopelessness or worthlessness

• Paranoia and excessive secrecy

• Self-mutilation, or mention of hurting himself or herself

•  Obsessive body-image concerns

• Excessive isolation

• Abandonment of friends and social groups

Eating disorders

Body image concerns can become obsessions, resulting in startling weight loss, severely affecting the adolescent’s health:

• Anorexia: Avoidance of food and noticeable changes in eating habits should trigger concern.

• Bulimia: Purging (forced vomiting) after eating — be alert for both dramatic weight loss without changes in eating habits (which could, of course, indicate other health issues that require a doctor’s attention) and also for immediate trips to the bathroom or other private spot after a meal.

Drug abuse

In addition to peer pressure, mental health issues can lead adolescents not just to experiment with alcohol and drugs, but also to use substances for “self-medication.” And in addition to being aware of the behavioral and physical signs of alcohol and drug abuse — drug and alcohol paraphernalia or evidence, hangovers, slurred speech, etc. — parents should also:

•  Be alert for prescription drug misuse and abuse: According to the AAP, prescription drug misuse by adolescents is second only to marijuana and alcohol misuse. The most commonly abused prescription drugs include Vicodin and Xanax.

• Know that over-the-counter-medications can be abused as well: Teenagers also frequently abuse OTC cough and cold medications.

Concern about your adolescent’s mental health should first be addressed with your child — fostering open communication goes a long way toward fostering sound adolescent mental health habits.

If your concerns are serious, discuss them with your primary care provider.. Because so many mental health issues display physical manifestations — weight loss being the most dramatic but not the only one — your pediatrician can offer both initial medical assessment and also refer you to appropriate mental health organizations and professionals for counseling and treatment if called for.

FROM – healthychildren.org

Mental Health Resources  for parents of  adolescents and young adults 

Apps to Help with Mental Health

Hancock County Recovery Resources Guide

Hancock Helps Resources Guide

Ohio Mental Health Resources for Children

List of National Hotlines

Child Abuse Hotlines

National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453, push 1 to talk to a hotline counselor. (Call this number for help if you have been abused, suspect a child or teenager is being sexually abused, or if you are an abuser.)  For hearing impaired, call 1-800-222-4523.

Crisis Text Line (U.S.A.): Text CONNECT to 741741. https://www.crisistextline.org/textline/

Domestic Violence Hotlines

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) – Staffed 24 hours a day by trained counselors who can provide crisis assistance and information about shelters, legal advocacy, health care centers, and counseling.

Eating Disorders Hotlines:

National Association of Anorexia Nervosa & Associated Disorders (ANAD): 1-847-831-3438 (long distance)

Parents Hotlines:

Parent Hotline: 1-800-840-6537. Parent Hotline is a website dedicated to helping families who are in a crisis situation.

Rape/Sexual Assault Hotlines:

The National Sexual Assault Hotline (1.800.656.HOPE) and Online Hotline (rainn.org) offer free, safe and confidential help 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

Self-Injury Hotlines:

1-800-DONT-CUT (366-8288)

Substance Abuse/Alcohol Hotlines:

Alcohol Abuse and Crisis Intervention: 1-800-234-0246

Suicide Hotlines in the United States:

National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-784-2433

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) – available 24/7

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

988 Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States. Text 988.