Human Services for Children With Mental Health Issues

Mental illness not only affects the patient, but also all others involved with the patient. A family that has a mentally ill child has a myriad of difficulties to deal with. Oftentimes the other duties of life, such as work and attending to other family members leads to stress and interpersonal conflict. Because of these and other concerns, social service agencies have departments set up to help mentally ill children and their families.

State Agencies

• All states have agencies or programs that deal specifically with mental illness and children. For example, the state of Wyoming has the Children's Mental Health Waiver Program. This agency provides guidance on mental health counseling, mental health facilities and long-term care. Inquire at your state's department of human or social services as to what resources are available.

Non-Profit Agencies

• Many states have private, non-profit mental health agencies that help children with mental illness. These agencies can provide family counseling, psychological services and respite care. For example, the state of Tennessee has the Helen Ross McNabb agency. This is a large non-profit agency that provides mental health assistance to those in need, including children. Most non-profit mental health agencies offer services for children.

Federal Agencies

• Federal Agencies offers information on childhood mental illness. For example, the National Institute of Mental Health offers guidance on how to spot signs of a mental illness, such as changes in behavior. Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, offers guidance on how to spot the signs of autism. Other resources available from the CDC are autism fact sheets and statistical reports, such as the prevalence of autism in a metropolitan area. Federal agencies, because of their broad scope cannot issue specific recommendations on any one course of action, rather they are large information portals. Because of all the data available, you can make informed decisions when seeking out local resources.