Hampshire Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services It’s OK not to be OK

How to support a child feeling low in mood

Useful Apps:

What’s Up? Stay Alive MoodTools

Fabulous - Daily Routine Planner In Hand

Unless stated otherwise, apps are not supplied by the NHS and the NHS is not liable for their use.

Services provided by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust It’s OK not to be OK

How to support a child feeling low in mood

WHEN TO BE CONCERNED? WHAT MIGHT IT LOOK LIKE? It is typical for everyone to have times of low • Feeling tired or appearing mood, loss of energy and lose interest in things. lethargic, unmotivated and When to be concerned: disinterested • Appearing withdrawn and less • If the degree to which a young person feels low communicative appears out of context or disproportionate to • Disrupted sleep (difficulties the reason why they might be feeling low getting to or staying asleep, • If episodes are more frequent or prolonged and waking very early in the morning cause the young person distress and not being able to get back • If it impacts on their ability to cope with to sleep) everyday life such as going to school, seeing • Seeking reassurance or wanting friends or taking part in leisure activities to withdraw from social contact and communication WHAT TO DO: • Resistance to doing things, appearing unmotivated and • Normalise that feeling sad or down is a natural disinterested, avoidance of emotion particularly in response to a sad, seeing friends or doing activities disappointing or difficult event they ordinarily enjoy • Activity helps; encourage a young person to do • Poor personal hygiene (not a range of tasks and activities including one they washing or changing clothes need to do such as school work to fun things regularly) • Keep a routine and have nice things planned • Frequent changes of emotion, • Break things down into small steps and do one more sensitive (e.g. irritable, at a time so tasks do not seem so overwhelming upset, confused) • Role model and demonstrate that you can do • Thoughts or urges to harm self things even when you’re feeling sad or down or some thoughts to end life; • Be compassionate by validating how a young some infrequent or superficial person is feeling (not requiring medical attention) • Watch our parent/carer workshop on how to self-harm may occur support a young person in crisis here: bit.ly/3fgWnCA Please note that not all young • Watch a parent/carer workshop on coping people who engage in self-harm and resilience skills: bit.ly/3y7WrgE behaviour are depressed or suicidal. • Share concerns with your child’s school/college There are many reasons why a • Depending on the context and/or the origins of young person may engage in the anxiety being experienced, other services self-harm behaviour. may be helpful e.g. family guidance if there is family breakdown or conflict • There is a lot of information on the Hampshire #Recipes4wellbeing CAMHS website: hampshirecamhs.nhs.uk hampshirecamhs.nhs.uk