WHAT IS A PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY?

Reasons to take your child for an emergency mental health evaluation include:

Risk of harm to self, such as:

• Saying in person or online that they want to kill themselves
• Searching online about how to kill themselves
• Taking steps to kill themselves, like stockpiling pills, making a noose, or getting a gun or other weapons. Writing a suicide note
• Giving away favorite belongings or making a will
• Cutting or hurting themselves in order to die or not talking about why

Risk of harm to others, such as:

• Saying in person or online that they plan to kill a person or large groups of people
• Becoming more violent towards others
• Starting fires, destroying property, or harming animals
• Threatening a person with a weapon

Changes in behavior or thinking, such as:

• Acting strangely or not making sense
• Losing touch with reality
• Seeing or hearing things that are not there
• Becoming paranoid

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