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ACMH

ACMH

Phone: 517 372-4016

Parent Line: (888) ACMH-KID (226-4543)

  • Home
  • About
    • Meet the ACMH Staff
    • ACMH Board of Directors
    • ACMH Job Opportunities
    • ACMH Annual Reports
  • Get Help
    • Accessing Mental Health Services For My Child
    • Understanding my Child’s Mental Health Challenges
    • Collaborating with the Professionals Working with My Family
    • Navigating
      • Problems at School
      • Navigating the Juvenile Justice System
      • Navigating the Child Welfare System
      • The Mental Health System
    • Finding Resources for Housing, Employment, Childcare, Healthcare and Other Family Supports such as SSI/SSDI
      • Housing
      • Employment
      • Childcare
      • Free or Low Cost Medications
      • Health Care Coverage
    • Military Family Support
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Get Information
    • Children’s Mental Health 101
      • I Am Worried About My Child’s Mental Health
      • Possible Red Flags
      • Who can help
      • How to Access Mental Health Services and Supports
      • I Just Found Out My Child Has a Mental Health Disorder
      • Common Diagnosis
      • Treatments & Supports
      • Questions to Ask About Treatment
      • How to be Actively Involved in Your Child’s Treatment
      • What to Expect
      • When Accessing Mental Health Services Using Public Mental Health
      • When Accessing Mental Health Services Using Private Insurance
      • What to Expect if Your Child is in Crisis
      • Mental Health by Age & Stage
      • Additional Children’s Mental Health Resources
    • Ask the Expert
    • ACMH Projects
      • Parent Support Partner
      • Youth Peer Support
      • Family Action Partnership
      • Statewide Family Network
      • Other Projects & Collaborations
    • For Community Agencies
    • Child and Family Services
      • Public Mental Health
      • Juvenile Justice
      • Child Welfare
      • Education
    • Training Opportunities & Calendar
      • ACMH Trainings
      • Community Partner Trainings
      • Youth Mental Health First Aid
      • Youth Peer Support Project
      • Webinars
      • Parent Support Partner (PSP) Training Calendar
      • ACMH Staff Portal
  • Get Support
    • Support for You
    • Family Stories
    • The Manual
    • Online Discussions
    • Find Support in Your Local Community
    • Help To Create a Local Parent Support Group
  • Get Involved
    • Family Leadership Opportunities
    • Importance of Family Voice in Creating Effective Services & Supports
      • Family Driven
      • Youth Guided
    • Share Your Story
    • Advocacy 101
  • Youth Page
    • Youth Blog
  • Contact

Possible Red Flags

The following list contains some signs that may indicate that your child may have an emotional, behavioral or mental health problem that needs professional attention:

  • Ongoing behavior problems at daycare, school, home or in the community
  • Hyperactivity or constant movement beyond regular playing
  • Frequent, unexplainable temper tantrums
  • Unusual fears or worries
  • Difficulty taking part in activities that are normal for your child’s age
  • Difficulties with concentration, attention, or organization
  • Withdrawal from friends or activities they used to enjoy
  • Strange or unusual thoughts, beliefs, feelings or behaviors
  • Getting ‘stuck’ on certain thoughts, activities or actions
  • Ongoing lack of energy even when rested
  • Difficulty in going to sleep, staying asleep, or waking up
  • Sudden outbursts or explosive emotional reactions
  • Prolonged negative mood and attitude
  • Frequent physical complaints with no apparent cause
  • Inability to cope with problems
  • Inappropriate or unusual reactions to others
  • Sad and hopeless feelings without good reason, that don’t go away
  • Avoiding friends or family and wanting to be alone all of the time
  • Persistent nightmares
  • Seeing or hearing things that are not real
  • Significant changes in behavior over a short period of time
  • Eating problems including eating too much or too little
  • Violence towards oneself, others, animals or property
  • Refusal to go to school on a regular basis
  • Ongoing decline in school performance
  • Deliberate disobedience or aggression
  • Inability to complete tasks on an ongoing basis
  • Opposition to authority figures and little or no remorse for breaking rules
  • Extreme perfectionism
  • Cutting or other self injury
  • Inability to make decisions
  • Extreme mood swings with no apparent cause
  • Speaking so rapidly that they are difficult to understand or interrupt
  • Unable to get along with others in most situations
  • Worries about everything, even minor things on an ongoing basis
  • Becomes easily bored or angered
  • Isolation, loneliness, and a lack of friends
  • Risky or dangerous behavior including: sexually acting out, recklessness, running away, setting fires
  • Feeling hopeless or worthless
  • Abuse of alcohol, and/or drugs or heavy tobacco use
  • Frequent outbursts of anger or inability to cope with problems
  • Obsession with weight, constant dieting, purging food or vomiting
  • Self-injury, talk of suicide or actual violence. **Important!  If your child talks of suicide, or hurts themselves or others intentionally, get immediate assistance and do not leave your child alone!  If necessary, take your child to an emergency room for a psychiatric assessment, or call the police for assistance if you are afraid to try to transport your child.

This list is not exclusive, and sometimes the symptoms on this list can be brought on by major changes in a child’s life including illness, death or divorce in the family, a change of school or a move to a new city or neighborhood, or a new baby at home.  At other times, these symptoms may have no apparent cause at all.

As parents ourselves, we understand that it is sometimes hard to be sure if your child actually needs help and sometimes even harder to accept that your child may have an emotional, behavioral or mental health problem. These thoughts can sometimes keep us from seeking out the help our children need. One important thing to keep in mind is that mental health disorders are treatable and when young people are connected to the right treatment, services and supports they can go on and live happy and successful lives while managing their mental health symptoms.  So trust your instincts and seek help if you think your child may need it! If you are still unsure and would like to chat about your concerns pick up the phone and give us a call today!

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  • Home
  • About
    • Meet the ACMH Staff
    • ACMH Board of Directors
    • ACMH Job Opportunities
    • ACMH Annual Reports
  • Get Help
    • Accessing Mental Health Services For My Child
    • Understanding my Child’s Mental Health Challenges
    • Collaborating with the Professionals Working with My Family
    • Navigating
      • Problems at School
      • Navigating the Juvenile Justice System
      • Navigating the Child Welfare System
      • The Mental Health System
    • Finding Resources for Housing, Employment, Childcare, Healthcare and Other Family Supports such as SSI/SSDI
      • Housing
      • Employment
      • Childcare
      • Free or Low Cost Medications
      • Health Care Coverage
    • Military Family Support
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Get Information
    • Children’s Mental Health 101
      • I Am Worried About My Child’s Mental Health
      • Possible Red Flags
      • Who can help
      • How to Access Mental Health Services and Supports
      • I Just Found Out My Child Has a Mental Health Disorder
      • Common Diagnosis
      • Treatments & Supports
      • Questions to Ask About Treatment
      • How to be Actively Involved in Your Child’s Treatment
      • What to Expect
      • When Accessing Mental Health Services Using Public Mental Health
      • When Accessing Mental Health Services Using Private Insurance
      • What to Expect if Your Child is in Crisis
      • Mental Health by Age & Stage
      • Additional Children’s Mental Health Resources
    • Ask the Expert
    • ACMH Projects
      • Parent Support Partner
      • Youth Peer Support
      • Family Action Partnership
      • Statewide Family Network
      • Other Projects & Collaborations
    • For Community Agencies
    • Child and Family Services
      • Public Mental Health
      • Juvenile Justice
      • Child Welfare
      • Education
    • Training Opportunities & Calendar
      • ACMH Trainings
      • Community Partner Trainings
      • Youth Mental Health First Aid
      • Youth Peer Support Project
      • Webinars
      • Parent Support Partner (PSP) Training Calendar
      • ACMH Staff Portal
  • Get Support
    • Support for You
    • Family Stories
    • The Manual
    • Online Discussions
    • Find Support in Your Local Community
    • Help To Create a Local Parent Support Group
  • Get Involved
    • Family Leadership Opportunities
    • Importance of Family Voice in Creating Effective Services & Supports
      • Family Driven
      • Youth Guided
    • Share Your Story
    • Advocacy 101
  • Youth Page
    • Youth Blog
  • Contact
ACMH

Association for Children’s Mental Health

6017 W. St. Joseph Hwy., Suite #200,
Lansing, Michigan 48917
Phone: (517) 372-4016
Fax: (517) 372-4032
Parent Line: (888) ACMH-KID (226-4543)

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  • Home
  • About
    • Meet the ACMH Staff
    • ACMH Board of Directors
    • ACMH Job Opportunities
    • ACMH Annual Reports
  • Get Help
    • Accessing Mental Health Services For My Child
    • Understanding my Child’s Mental Health Challenges
    • Collaborating with the Professionals Working with My Family
    • Navigating
      • Problems at School
      • Navigating the Juvenile Justice System
      • Navigating the Child Welfare System
      • The Mental Health System
    • Finding Resources for Housing, Employment, Childcare, Healthcare and Other Family Supports such as SSI/SSDI
      • Housing
      • Employment
      • Childcare
      • Free or Low Cost Medications
      • Health Care Coverage
    • Military Family Support
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Get Information
    • Children’s Mental Health 101
      • I Am Worried About My Child’s Mental Health
      • Possible Red Flags
      • Who can help
      • How to Access Mental Health Services and Supports
      • I Just Found Out My Child Has a Mental Health Disorder
      • Common Diagnosis
      • Treatments & Supports
      • Questions to Ask About Treatment
      • How to be Actively Involved in Your Child’s Treatment
      • What to Expect
      • When Accessing Mental Health Services Using Public Mental Health
      • When Accessing Mental Health Services Using Private Insurance
      • What to Expect if Your Child is in Crisis
      • Mental Health by Age & Stage
      • Additional Children’s Mental Health Resources
    • Ask the Expert
    • ACMH Projects
      • Parent Support Partner
      • Youth Peer Support
      • Family Action Partnership
      • Statewide Family Network
      • Other Projects & Collaborations
    • For Community Agencies
    • Child and Family Services
      • Public Mental Health
      • Juvenile Justice
      • Child Welfare
      • Education
    • Training Opportunities & Calendar
      • ACMH Trainings
      • Community Partner Trainings
      • Youth Mental Health First Aid
      • Youth Peer Support Project
      • Webinars
      • Parent Support Partner (PSP) Training Calendar
      • ACMH Staff Portal
  • Get Support
    • Support for You
    • Family Stories
    • The Manual
    • Online Discussions
    • Find Support in Your Local Community
    • Help To Create a Local Parent Support Group
  • Get Involved
    • Family Leadership Opportunities
    • Importance of Family Voice in Creating Effective Services & Supports
      • Family Driven
      • Youth Guided
    • Share Your Story
    • Advocacy 101
  • Youth Page
    • Youth Blog
  • Contact
  • About
  • News
  • Events
  • Blog
  • Membership
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