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Public Aid Information
- For children and adolescents who are Public Aid funded, the State of Illinois provides an excellent program to assist. This is called “SASS CARES for KIDS Crisis Mental Health Services”. This can be accessed through the CARES LINE (CARES stands for Crisis and Referral Entry Services) and should be called in the event of a mental health crisis. The CARES line can be reached at 1-800-345-9049 (Voice)1-773-523-4504 (TTY).
- SASS stands for Screening, Assessment, and Support Services. SASS provides intensive mental health services for children and youth who may need hospitalization for mental health care. They can be accessed through the CARES LINE. For more information, please visit www.hfs.illinois.gov/sass/hfs3838.html
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Available information about Youth Mental Health
- NAMI Illinois (http://il.nami.org/) (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is a not-for-profit membership organization created to improve the lives of individuals and families challenged by mental illness. In collaboration with NAMI National, Illinois affiliates and other like-minded organizations, we influence public policies, provide up to date education and support programs, and increase public awareness and understanding of mental illness.
- Department of Human Services (DHS) provide our state's residents with streamlined access to integrated services, especially those who are striving to move from welfare to work and economic independence, and others who face multiple challenges to self-sufficiency. DHS offers community-based prevention and intervention programs for children and adolescents. Visit www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=32004.
- The SAMHSA Health Information Network (SHIN) includes the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI) and the National Mental Health Information Center (NMHIC) . SHIN connects the behavioral health workforce and the general public to the latest information on the prevention and treatment of mental and substance use disorders. For information from SAMHSA on child and adolescent mental health, visit mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/CA-0004/default.asp
- The Jason Foundation, Inc. (JFI) is an educational organization dedicated to the awareness and prevention of youth suicide. The Jason Foundation was founded by a man who lost his own son to suicide. For information and resources, visit the Jason Foundation website at www.jasonfoundation.com.
Please note: The following information is not intended to be used to diagnose a child or adolescent’s mental health condition. This is provided as a resource of information. Any clinical assessment of needs or diagnosis must be done by a qualified clinician.
ADHD is one of the most common mental disorders that develop in children. Children with ADHD have impaired functioning in multiple settings, including home, school, and in relationships with peers.
If untreated, the disorder can have long-term adverse effects into adolescence and adulthood.
Symptoms of ADHD may include:
- Inattention: Daydreaming or seeming to be in another world, sidetracked by what is going on around him or her.
- Impulsiveness: Acting quickly without thinking first.
- Hyperactivity: Inability to sit still, walking, running, or climbing around when others are seated, talking out of turn.
Anxiety is a natural reaction to stressful situations and it can help us cope with a tense situation. But when anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it has become a disabling disorder. The five basic types of anxiety disorders are Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD , and Social Phobia (or Social Anxiety Disorder).
The signs and symptoms of the types of anxiety disorders are diverse. In general, they involve worries, anxiousness, or obsessions, which debilitate normal functioning that can interfere with health, school and relationships.
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), also known as Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDDs), cause severe and pervasive impairment in thinking, feeling, language, and the ability to relate to others. These disorders are usually first diagnosed in early childhood and range from a severe form, called autistic disorder, through pervasive development disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), to a much milder form, Asperger syndrome. They also include two rare disorders, Rett syndrome and childhood disintegrative disorder.
Our sister facility, Streamwood Behavioral Healthcare System, provides highly specialized inpatient care for children and adolescents diagnosed with Autism Spectrum. Streamwood’s Children’s Center has a 10-bed program dedicated to children ages 4-11 years old, and an 8-bed program dedicated to adolescents ages 12-17 years old, diagnosed within the autism spectrum.
For more information about the autism program, call (630) 837-9000 or visit www.streamwoodhospital.com/new-news/
Parents are usually the first to notice unusual behaviors in their child. In some cases, the infant seemed "different" from birth, unresponsive to people or focusing intently on one item for long periods of time. The first signs of an autism spectrum disorder can also appear in children who had been developing normally. When an engaged, babbling toddler suddenly becomes silent, withdrawn, self-abusive, or indifferent to social overtures, this may be a symptom.
Bipolar Disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a serious medical illness that causes shifts in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function. Different from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through, the symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe.
Bipolar disorder's diagnostic criteria is based on the study of adults older than 18 years. The long term outcomes of the illness treated or untreated is also based on the study of adults. Bipolar disorder causes dramatic mood swings from overly "high" and/or irritable to sadness and hopelessness, and then back again, often with periods of normal mood in between. Severe changes in energy and behavior go along with these changes in mood. The periods of highs and lows are called episodes of mania and depression.
Depression within children and adolescents is common. The outward symptoms of depression are not always easily recognizable. The depressed child may refuse to go to school, pretend to be sick, cling to a parent, or worry that the parent may die. Older children may be experiencing school problems, a “negative” attitude, and irritability. It can be difficult to determine whether a child is just going through a temporary "phase" or is suffering from depression.
- Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood
- Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism
- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness
- Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed
Suicide is a major, preventable public health problem. The rates of youth suicide are alarming.
- Suicide ranks as the THIRD leading cause of death for ages 15-24 and FOURTH for ages 10-14.
- Suicide is the SECOND leading cause of death for our college-aged youth, as well as for ages 15 to 19 in many states.
- NHSDA Report/SAMHSA (US Dept. of Health) – In 2000, over ONE Million youth attempted suicide in the U.S. That equates to over 2,700 attempts each day in our nation by youth ages 12 to 17.
- Each week in our nation, we lose approximately 100+ young people to suicide.
- Even though white males make up the majority of completed suicides, from 1980-1995, suicide among black youth ages 10-14 increased 233% and in black youth ages 15-19 suicide rates increased 126%. For black youth in the southern region of the nation, there was an increase of 214%.
- In the past forty years, youth suicide rates have almost tripled. Between 1980 and 1996, suicide rates for ages 10 to 14 increased by over 100%.
- More teenagers and young adults have died of suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia and influenza, and chronic lung disease COMBINED.
- According to the NMHA, four out of five people who attempt suicide have given clear warnings.
- Talking about suicide
- Making statements about feeling hopeless, helpless, or worthless
- A deepening depression
- Preoccupation with death
- Taking unnecessary risks or exhibiting self-destructive behavior
- Out of character behavior
- A loss of interest in the things one cares about
- Visiting or calling people one cares about
- Making arrangements; setting one’s affairs in order
- Giving prized possessions away
Note: If you or someone you know is at risk for suicide, get help immediately. |
