Behavioral Health Emergency

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the signs of concerning behavior include:

Risk of harm to self, such as:

• Saying in person or online that they want to kill themselves

• Searching online about how to kill themselves

• Taking steps to kill themselves like stockpiling pills, making a noose, or getting a gun or other weapons

• Writing a suicide note

• Giving away favorite belongings or making a will

• Cutting or hurting themselves in order to die or not talking about why

Risk of harm to others, such as:

• Saying in person or online that they plan to kill a person or large groups of people

• Becoming more violent towards others

• Starting fires, destroying property, or harming animals

• Threatening a person with a weapon

Changes in behavior or thinking, such as:

• Acting strangely or not making sense

• Losing touch with reality

• Seeing or hearing things that are not there

• Becoming paranoid