Childhood mental illnesses
About 10% of children & young people have a mental health problem, and a small percentage will have a severe mental illness. Ideally, the key to handling these childhood disorders is for parents & carers to recognise the issue and seek appropriate treatment as early as possible.
How do I know if my child has mental health problems?
It's perfectly normal for many children to feel sad, angry or upset from time to time and this can be expressed through disruptive behaviour or moodiness. As long as these feelings do not last or interfere too much in their ordinary activities there's probably nothing to worry about.
If a child seems to be experiencing distress which is more severe or long lasting it could be a sign of mental health problems. Signs to look out for might include:
- Decline in school performance
- poor grades despite strong efforts
- regular worry or anxiety
- repeated refusal to go to school or take part in normal children's activities
- hyperactivity or fidgeting
- persistent nightmares
- persistent disobedience or aggression
- frequent temper tantrums
- depression, sadness or irritability
How to get help for a child who might have mental health problems?
Mental health services for children and young people, between the ages of 0 -18, are delivered by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). A child or young person can get help from CAMHS in a number of ways including support offered in schools and health centres to more specialist services accessed via GP's . For more information about how to access help for your child please read our factsheet Childhood mental illness (663 kb) ![[pdf]](http://www.rethink.org/display_images/document_icons/pdf.gif){kind=icon}
if your child is not currently receiving treatment for mental health problems but this are at risk and need urgent help please read our Getting help in a crisis factsheet (454 kb)
