September 20, 2024, 5:00 p.m.
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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. In case of a medical emergency with a child, determine where the nearest accredited, Level I pediatric trauma center is located. Find the St. Louis Children’s Hospital pediatric Emergency Department location nearest you.
