Learn How to Spot the Warning Signs

A mental health crisis has distinct indicators

No parent wants to be plagued with worry that their child might be on the verge of a mental health crisis. It can be tempting to just think positively and hope for the best. However, familiarizing yourself with the warning signs can give you a significant advantage when taking actions that minimize the magnitude of your child’s meltdown. Sometimes, these measures can even prevent the breakdown entirely. 

A mental health crisis occurs when a person’s emotional or mental state puts them or someone else in danger or a “loss of functioning state.” It prevents the individual from being able to care for themselves and function effectively in their everyday activities. It most often occurs when mental health symptoms worsen and remain untreated. 

At the same time, it is important to remember that there aren’t always warning signs of an impending crisis. Sometimes a mental health event is triggered by a sudden change that occurs in the child’s environment, such as a family trauma that no one could have anticipated. Or maybe the warning signs are so subtle that they don’t register with you until after the crisis occurs. Knowing the common warning signs can be a powerful tool to help you navigate a wide range of mental health situations with your child as you become closely tuned in to the variations in your child’s behavior. 

If you notice any of the warning signs I’m describing in this article, consider the degree to which your child is experiencing them. Are the changes slight, moderate, or extreme? It is also illuminating to compare any shifts from their baseline behaviors. 

Physical Symptoms

There could be physical clues to indicate your child might be on the brink of an emotional crisis. These symptoms can include restlessness, pacing, and excessive movement. They might display increased self-soothing behaviors such as severe skin picking, and scratching, or more intense sensory-seeking behaviors such as head banging or self-harm (cutting). There might be incidents of self-harm. Keep in mind, the goal of these behaviors is not malicious or manipulative, they are that person’s body trying to self-soothe in the way its brain is telling it to. Looking through this perspective can allow us to support and intervene without judgment or blame. 

Daily Routines

Take note if your child stops doing their regular routines. If they can’t cope with daily tasks and start to intensely withdraw from their activities, this indicates they are having trouble. They might begin to isolate themselves from their relationships with family and friends. Their performance at work and school may start to deteriorate. Watch for dramatic changes in their appetite – and disruptions in their sleep habits, such as sleeping longer or not sleeping well. While these areas are expected to have inevitable fluctuations, severe changes are a reason to explore further! 

Agitation

Agitation, aggression, and/or profound irritability can be a significant sign that a mental crisis could be imminent. When this happens, the brain is in a fight or flight mode. As such, your child may become less attentive to anything outside their immediate surroundings. Their range of focus might narrow to one upsetting theme, and it’s harder to reason through it. They might be unable to fully process what is being said to them, and appear to be stuck on a very upsetting theme.  If these upsetting thoughts grow repetitive and more stuck, they can boil over into a loss of emotional control, which can look like extreme distress, anger, panic, and/or agitation.

Sudden Mood Shifts

Watch for pronounced changes in mood, such as rapid mood swings, which might occur suddenly and intensely. Any new onset severe, dangerous impulsivity (not part of someone’s routine ADHD or autism traits) is also a red flag. An abrupt change might also  manifest as sadness, such as crying excessively or expressing a lack of purpose, and most concerning suicidal thoughts. 

Your child’s tolerance for frustration might diminish as we near a crisis, and they could become impatient and irritable. They might be angry, exhibiting explosive and unpredictable outbursts. 

Sudden mood shifts may also come with violent, threatening behavior towards people or property. There may also be psychotic symptoms, where a person starts to have breaks in reality. This may look like becoming distrustful and paranoid and/or suffering from hallucinations, causing them to hear and see things that don’t exist. These are symptoms that can be signs of other mental health conditions that often start in adolescence, so any of these are an appropriate reason for an urgent mental health visit. 

You aren’t alone.

As upsetting as these behaviors can be for a parent who is concerned about their child’s well-being, it is important to remember that help is available, and improvement is possible. Recovery is not usually 100% symptom-free, but it is finding a way of life worth living with meaning, joy, and some form of inner peace.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you're struggling. I have worked with many families to tackle these issues.  While I may not be able to help with direct patient care if you are outside of Arizona, I am always available to listen and hopefully point you in a few directions to explore. 

For those who want to have deeper discussions about crisis management and my strategies, my online community Autism Roadmaps is open and accepting new members. 

Learn more!

And remember, if you are in an emergency, you can access these resources 24 hours a day. 

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:

1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Crisis Text Line

741741

Emergency Services 911