Child & Adolescent Mental Health

Mental health is an important part of overall health for children as well as adults. For many adults who have mental disorders, symptoms were present—but often not recognized or addressed—in childhood and adolescence. For a young person with symptoms of a mental disorder, the earlier treatment is started, the more effective it can be. Early treatment can help prevent more severe, lasting problems as a child grows up.

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Warning Signs

It can be tough to tell if troubling behavior in a child is just part of growing up or a problem that should be discussed with a health professional. But if there are behavioral signs and symptoms that last weeks or months, and if these issues interfere with the child’s daily life at home and at school, or with friends, you should contact a health professional.

Young children may benefit from an evaluation and treatment if they:

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

• Often talk about fears or worries

• Complain about frequent stomachaches 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.

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Older children and adolescents may benefit from an evaluation if they:

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• 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.

Mental illnesses can be treated. If you are a child or teen, talk to your parents, school counselor, or health care provider. If you are a parent and need help starting a conversation with your child or teen about mental health, visit http://www.mentalhealth.gov/. If you are unsure where to go for help, ask your pediatrician or family doctor or visit our Get Help page.

It may be helpful for children and teens to save several emergency numbers to their cell phones.The ability to get immediate help for themselves or for a friend can make a difference.

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• The phone number for a trusted friend or relative

• The non-emergency number for the local police department

• The Crisis Text Line: 741741

• The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

If you or someone you know needs immediate help, call 911 or the National Suicide Prevention LifeLine at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

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Featured Health Topics

• Anxiety Disorders

• Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

• Bipolar Disorder (Manic-Depressive Illness)

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

• Depression

• Eating Disorders

• Medications: Children and Teens

• Suicide Prevention

Federal Resources

• Data and Statistics on Children’s Mental Health: This CDC report provides data and statistics about mental disorders in U.S. children.

• For Educators: MentalHealth.gov: Educators are often the first to notice mental health problems. Here are some ways you can help students and their families

• For Friends and Family: Mentalhealth.gov: Anyone can experience mental health problems. Friends and family can make all the difference in a person’s recovery process.

• Self-harm: Medline Plus: Self-harm refers to a person harming their own body on purpose. It tends to begin in teen or early adult years. Learn more on the Medline Plus Self-Harm webpage.

• NIDA for Teens website: This website was created for middle and high school students and their teachers by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). This website provides accurate and timely information for use in and out of the classroom.

• Find Help for Mental Illnesses

Clinical Trials

Children are not little adults, yet they are often given medicines and treatments that were only tested in adults. There is a lot of evidence that children’s developing brains and bodies can respond to medicines and treatments differently than how adults respond. The way to get the best treatments for children is through research designed specifically for them.

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Should your child participate in a clinical study?

Parents and caregivers may have many questions when they are considering enrolling a child in a clinical study, and that children and adolescents also want to know what they will go through. NIMH is committed to ensuring that families trying to decide whether to enroll their child in a clinical study get all the information they need to feel comfortable and make informed decisions. The safety of children remains the utmost priority for all NIMH and NIH research studies.

For more information, visit NIH Clinical Trials and You: For Parents and Children. To find studies for children and teens being conducted at NIMH, visit Join a Study: Children. To find a clinical trial near you, visit www.clinicaltrials.gov.

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Last Revised: May 2019

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© Copyright National Institute of Mental Health - August 2019