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If
you suspect your child or teenager has a mood
disorder, contact a local mental health professional
for further assessment. A child psychiatrist will
be able to best evaluate your child's needs.
The
most serious risk for teens with undiagnosed depression
or bipolar disorder is suicide. Any indication
that your child feels hopeless should serve as
a warning sign. Comments such as "I wish
I were dead," "Maybe I'll just kill
myself and stop bother you," or "No
one would even notice if I died," should
not be simply written off as idle threats. It
is better to have your child evaluated by a mental
health professional than ignore these warning
signs and find out the hard way that your teenager
was serious about his or her suicidal intentions.
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