DAYTON — May is mental health awareness month, and the CDC says one in five children has a mental illness.
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With that stat in mind, News Center 7 Xavier Hershovitz sought out a local expert to find what warning signs a parent might be able to pick up on.
We spoke to Dr. Kelly Blankenship, an associate chief medical officer for behavioral health at Dayton Children’s Hospital, and asked her what are the warning signs a child’s mental health may be suffering.
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“When you go in with something that you’ve noticed, it’s then a lot of times, you won’t create that defensiveness with the child like you’re saying something’s wrong with them,” Blankenship explained. “You know, you’re just saying, ‘Hey, I noticed this is different. Can you tell me about that?’ So you can always ask, you tell me how you’re feeling, you know?
Signs to look for:
- Change in baseline behavior
- More withdrawn
- Lack of enjoyment
- Change of sleeping patterns
- Change in appetite
If you don’t know where to start having these open conversations with your kids, Blankenship recommends the free ‘On Our Sleeves’ program.
The program has many different conversation starters surrounding mental health and other resources for parents as well.
For more information about the ‘On Our Sleeves’ program and Dayton Children’s visit this site HERE.
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