Published: February 07, 2008 12:11 pm            

Seek help at first signs of trouble

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — In Oklahoma, one in every five children is affected by mental illness or addiction – nearly 90,000 people between the ages of 9 and 17, according to a recent report by the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy.

While incidents of juvenile violent crime, high school dropout rates and teenage birth rates are down, an increase in cases of child abuse, neglect and children born with low birth weight has become apparent, said the OICA.

For Oklahoma children, untreated mental health problems can lead to serious issues such as family conflicts, violence, drug abuse and suicide.

At Bill Willis Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Center, Director of Outpatient Clinical Services Lance Dickison encourages those in need to seek help from any available source.

"The No. 1 thing is people should feel free to call any public or state office - the Department of Mental Health, Department of Human Services, Department of Health," said Dickison. "These agencies work together to develop referral catalogs and are able to access one another's services in a fairly efficient manner. Some geographical areas may not have access to all services but, by working with other agencies, they can refer a person in need to an appropriate service."

The importance of finding help quickly can not be stressed enough, "especially in regard to children," said Dickison.

SAMHSA advises parents to search the yellow pages under "mental health," "hotlines," "hospitals," "social services," "suicide prevention," "crisis intervention services," or "physicians" for phone numbers and addresses.

Often, children display several symptoms that can point to mental health disorders. SAMHSA advises parents and family members to pay attention if a child shows the following warning signs:

• Sad and hopeless for no reason.

• Very angry most of the time and crying a lot or overreacting to things.

• Feeling worthless or guilty often.

• Anxious or worried often.

• Unable to get over a loss or death of someone important.

• Extremely fearful or having unexplained fears.

• Constantly concerned about physical problems or physical appearance.

• Frightened that his or her mind either is controlled or is out of control.



Learn more

For more information, contact the Bill Willis Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Center at (918) 207-3000 or 1-800-522-9054; the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services "Reach Out" hotline at 1-800-522-9054; or the U.S. Department of Mental Health – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at 1-800-789-2647, or visit http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov.

        

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