In our earlier films, we've looked at how to recognise and respond to signs that your child may need additional help. Previously, we suggested consulting your family doctor. Not every doctor is a mental health specialist. But these days, many general practises have at least one staff member with a particular interest in the subject. We asked Dr. Julia Thomas for advice. I think the first thing to say is that you, as a parent, don't have to have decided that it's definitely a mental health problem before you come and discuss the problem with a GP. So children have adjustment reactions to events in their life in the same way that adults do. So there may be phases where children seem more anxious, less happy. And I think the question that a lot of parents would ask is, so how do I know that I need to come to a GP with it? And certainly if there are red flags, if there are some of the-- if a child is self-harming or has very odd behaviour, ritualistic behaviour, worries about thoughts that they're finding very disturbing and violent images, those are quite urgent things and you would come along to see a GP quickly. As probably the more common scenario is that you gradually notice that symptoms are more persistent, that they instead of de-escalating, they're getting more frequent. The distress is getting more frequent. So for instance, with depression or anxiety you may find that actually it's a behavioural change that you notice. So children often will present with more irritability. So if they're having more meltdowns, more angry moments, and it's an escalating pattern, then that would ring alarm bells for me. And coming along to speak to a GP would be a good thing to do at that point. If you do approach your GP, it is worth taking as much key information as possible to help the GP offer the relevant advice or direct you towards the most helpful agency for the help you need. I think if you've found it helpful and have made notes about anything, for instance, if your child previously didn't seem angry, but in a week they've had three episodes of relatively small things that have created an outburst actually and you find it helpful to try-- and you're trying to monitor it, you're trying to work out the problem, then if you've made notes like that, bring them along. If your child's got any special educational needs and you have a SENCo at school that's supporting you, those details-- if you have a social worker that's supporting the family, those details are really helpful. If any reports have been written, so if your child's seen an educational psychologist at school and you've been provided with a report, then sharing that, that's really helpful. Sometimes the greatest help a GP can offer is a way of achieving a professional diagnosis for your child. This will help you to get the best support for your child moving forwards. There is the child and young person mental health services that we can refer to and do refer to. Schools and social workers can also refer to that agency. So they would want to know whether any referral had been made and have a copy of that referral. There are also different sorts of counselling services. So this will vary from area to area and from school to school. So sometimes charities are involved in school. Sometimes schools have commissioned counsellors and have somebody come into the school. So there are other sources help. There are other sources help. But lots of patients visit their GP looking for an immediate medical solution. The remedy for a child is unlikely to be so simple. Parents do sometimes ask about medication. And it's unlikely that a GP would start any medication for a child. For a start, there may be a lot of interventions that can be done before that. And work with a family and support of your child. I mean, obviously it depends on the problem. And medication can be used, but we wouldn't rush to it. One concern we often hear is that parents are worried that highlighting concerns about their child's mental health can damage them in some way, perhaps by stigmatising them. Some parents may be worried about the stigma or the shaming effect of having a mental health problem in your medical records. I think that the culture has changed. Mental health is talked about much more. It's much more accepted as being a health problem in the way that a physical problem is. And you wouldn't hesitate if you thought your child had got a fractured leg or asthma to come along. Then if you're worried about mental health, please come early. We see adults that have harboured and have kept quiet about their mental health problems that have actually been there as a problem since childhood. And it's an absolute tragedy when you see that the opportunity for early intervention has been missed. And as always, we asked about help for parents too. All GPs will have access to some NHS counselling services. That may not be immediate, but you can get your referral in for that. It's a very anxious thing having a child who's unhappy. And no parent likes being in that position. And knowing and being honest with yourself about how that's making you feel may be the first step in terms of getting the right help for yourself. Once you've talked to the school and consulted your family doctor, you should have a better idea of what your child's needs are and how to support them. Often this will be enough to start the process of obtaining the right support that will help them to develop and flourish. If not, you may need further help. Our next film will explore how you can obtain that. Thanks for watching.