Your child’s mental health: When to seek help

If you’re wondering how to seek mental health care for your child, you might have questions about what to expect. Mini Tandon, DO, a WashU Medicine child and adolescent psychiatrist at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, has some advice:
1. If you’re looking for mental health care for your child, you will likely encounter a long wait list to see a provider. Despite long wait lists, it is important to seek help. The wait lists might be long, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t seek treatment for your child if needed.
2. Treatment often combines a variety of elements. You might go to a child psychiatrist, and that person may or may not provide medications depending on the illness and its severity. Family members may be interviewed.
3. Your provider may work with your child’s school on a treatment plan. This helps ensure that your child has a strong support system.
Some signs your child might need help include:
• general sadness
• isolation
• changes in any patterns of behavior
• thoughts of self-harm or suicide
If your child is struggling with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, call or text 988 for free and confidential mental health support, 24/7. You can also bring your child to one of St. Louis Children’s Hospital’s six pediatric emergency department locations across the St. Louis and southern Illinois region. These include St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital at Memorial Hospital Belleville, Children’s Hospital at Memorial Hospital Shiloh, Children’s Hospital at Missouri Baptist Medical Center, Children’s Hospital at Northwest HealthCare and Children’s Hospital at Progress West Hospital.
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The St. Louis Children’s Hospital KZbin station is intended as a reference and information source only. If you suspect you have a health problem, you should seek immediate care with the appropriate health care professionals. The information on this website is not a substitute for professional care, and must not be used for self-diagnosis or treatment. For help finding a doctor, St. Louis Children's Hospital Answer Line may be of assistance at 314.454.KIDS (5437). The opinions expressed in these videos are those of the individual writers, not necessarily St. Louis Children's Hospital or Washington University School of Medicine. BJC HealthCare and Washington University School of Medicine assume no liability for the information contained in this website or for its use.