Your child's mental health

If you are worried about the behaviour of your child, or if your child appears to be unusually distressed, you might need to do some probing to get to the heart of the problem.

Your child's mental health

Children face many pressures in modern society.

Most are fine, but some find it hard to cope, or do not get the support they need to feel safe, happy and confident.

If your child is feeling distressed or troubled, they may express their unhappiness in a number of ways:

unable to concentrate
behaving out of character - irritable, sad, depressed, loss of interest/enjoyment
not sleeping, having nightmares, wetting the bed
becoming disruptive in class
getting fussy about food, or cleanliness, or developing eating problems
trying to harm themselves
having trouble making friends, or finding relationships at home difficult
becoming fearful and resentful
getting into fights and becoming aggressive
increasing alcohol/drug use

Equally, your instincts may tell you there is something wrong.

If you are worried about your child, you could:

talk to your doctor or health visitor - they may refer you to special services for children, young people and families
talk to your child's school - the school may be able to help sort out problems, provide extra support and make allowances for your child
contact social services to find out what support is available for your family

Supporting organisations

ChildLine on 0800 1111 - offers help to young people in trouble or danger
Samaritans 0845 790 9090
Lifeline 0808 808 8000
Young Minds on 0800 018 2138 - a parents' information service offering confidential advice for any adult concerned about the mental health, or emotional well-being of a child or young person
Family Lives Parentline on 0808 800 2222 - offers help and information for anyone caring for children

What to do next

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Employment and Support Allowance

Call 0800 587 1377

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

Personal Independence Payment

Call 0800 587 0932

If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

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Your child's mental health