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Mental & Behavioral Health

Did you know that May is Mental Health month? Each year, mental and behavioral health professionals use this month of recognition to spread the word about the importance of nurturing you and your child’s mental health.

Just like you would spring to action and care for your child if he/she had a fever or broke a bone, it’s important for parents to know how to and when to recognize and treat mental or behavior health issues.

According to the American Psychological Association, one out of every ten children or adolescents has a serious mental health problem, and another 10% have mild to moderate problems. These problems can lead to tragic consequences, including suicide, substance abuse, inability to live independently, involvement with the correction system, failure to complete high school, and serious health problems.

To learn more about the importance of understanding your child’s mental health, visit the National Mental Health Information Center.

For more information from the Delaware Children’s Department’s Division of Child Mental Health Services, click here.




Recognizing Warning Signs

The phrase “Hindsight is 20/20” often refers to that idea that once a situation has already occurred, it’s much easier to go back, evaluate it and determine whether or not you made the right choice.

When it comes to your child and the choices they make, it’s important to be aware of their surroundings, so you can help guide them in the right directions instead of having them rely solely on their hindsight.

Below are links to websites that help parents recognize warning signs for serious situations their children may fall into:

Warning Signs of Youth Violence
Warning Signs of Mental Illness
Suicide Warning Signs


Sexuality & Relationships

Relationships and sexuality are two topics that are important to talk to your child about early on, but it can be very tough and sometimes uncomfortable. Here are ten great tips for talking with your kids about tough issues:

1. Begin at an early age with age-appropriate conversations.
2. Initiate the conversations; don’t wait for them to come to you.
3. Make your child feel comfortable about coming to you with questions or concerns.
4. Be open to your child’s thoughts and feelings.
5. Share your values and beliefs.
6. Listen to your child.
7. Be honest.
8. Be patient.
9. Use everyday opportunities to talk
10. Talk about it again and again.

For more helpful information about talking to your kids about sex and other tough issues, visit TalkingWithKids.org.


Drugs & Alcohol

You hear about it in the news all the time: kids bringing prescription drugs to school, teenagers hosting underage drinking parties while their parents are out of town. You hear it and your kids hear it, but are you both listening?

Drug and alcohol abuse are two very serious problems among youth. Often their involvement is due to peer pressure and more often than should be, there are dire consequences. It’s important that parents and guardians know how to talk to their kids early on to help guide them in the right direction, but it’s also important that adults are informed of the symptoms related to drug and alcohol use/abuse and know what to do if they suspect a child or teen is involved in this dangerous behavior.

TheAntiDrug.com provides valuable information to help parents stay informed about the various drugs available to kids, how to recognize the symptoms and various other tools to keep your child safe or help them if they’ve made some bad choices.


Parent/Child Conflict

One of the best ways to deal with your child when there is conflict is to use a problem-solving approach.  Look at the following conversation between a parent and child.  Use some of the problem-solving questions when there is conflict with your child.

Parent:  What is the problem?
Child:  I don’t want to do my homework!  I want to go outside!
Parent: How do you feel about having to do your homework now?
Child:  Mad! Angry!
Parent:  Can you think of some ways to solve this problem?
Child:  I can do half of it now and the other half after play.
Parent:  That’s one idea!  Can you think of another?
Child:  I can finish it all now and then I won’t have to do it later.
Parent:  That’s another idea!  Which of those ideas do you want to choose?
Child:  I want to do half of it now and half of it later.
Parent:  OK! How about doing half of it now, playing for a half hour and then coming back in to finish?  I will call you in when it is time to finish.
Child: OK!
Parent:  That’s good thinking!


Violence Prevention

Bullying is described as intentional, repeated, hurtful acts, words, or other behavior committed by one or more children against another. It may be physical, verbal, emotional, or sexual in nature.  Did you know that there are approximately 7 million bullying incidents in our nation’s schools each year?  If your child is being bullied, try these strategies:

• Convince your child that he or she is not at fault! The bully's behavior is causing the problem;
• Offer support to your child. Assist them in looking at their choices.  The more choices a child has to make, the more he or she develops independence, and independence can contribute to self-confidence;
• Help your child to develop their friendships. Friends can serve as buffers to bullying;
• Do not encourage your child to be aggressive or to strike back. A child who does not respond as the bully desires is not likely to be chosen as a victim;
• Work with your child's school to address the problem. Keep records of incidents so that you can be specific when talking about what is happening to your child;
• Do not talk to the bullies’ parents. Parents of bullies may fail to see anything wrong with bullying.  They may see it as “standing up for oneself.”
• If the problem continues or escalates, you may need to seek an attorney's help or contact local law enforcement officials.


Juvenile Justice

If your child becomes involved in the juvenile justice system, your first step is to learn how the system works in Delaware.  Having this information will help you to find the best services for your child and help them learn about how to prevent this behavior in the future.

There are three kinds of juvenile cases:
1. Abuse or neglect, in which the child has been mistreated by the parents, and it is necessary for the court to take over temporary legal custody for the protection of the child.  It may also be necessary for the court to take physical custody, remove the child from the parents' home and placing the child with relatives or in foster care.
2. Status cases, in which a child runs away from home, or is frequently truant from school, or is otherwise beyond parental control.
3. Delinquencies (law violations), in which the child has committed an offense which would be charged as a crime if the child were an adult.

Ask the processing officer at the police station to explain the process to you and ask the following questions:

Why was my child arrested?
Will you have to detain my child or can he or she be released in my custody?  Will we need to post bond?
Will my child have a record simply as a result of the arrest?
What happens next?
Whom should I speak with to get assistance if my child is referred to juvenile court?

For more information on the juvenile justice system, click on these links: 
http://courts.delaware.gov/




Helpline Numbers

24-Hour Child Abuse/Neglect Hotline: 1-800-292-9582

24-Hour Child Mental Health Crisis Services:

For emergency help with a child's emotional problem call:
In Northern New Castle County (North of canal) 1-302-633-5128
In Southern New Castle County (South of canal) 1-800-969-HELP
In Kent and Sussex Counties 1-302-424-HELP (1-302-424-4357)

Delaware Helpline: 1-800-464-4357


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