Mental Illness in Children

Mental Illness in the Family ... Recognizing the Warning Signs 

In older children and pre-adolescents:

• substance abuse
• inability to cope with problems and daily activities
• change in sleeping and/or eating habits
• excessive complaints of physical ailments
• defiance of authority, truancy, theft, and/or vandalism
• intense fear of weight gain
• prolonged negative mood, often accompanied by poor appetite or thoughts of death
• frequent outbursts of anger

In younger children:

• changes in school performance
• poor grades despite strong efforts
• excessive worry or anxiety (i.e. refusing to go to bed or school)
• hyperactivity
• persistent nightmares
• persistent disobedience or aggression
• frequent temper tantrums