Borderland experts encourage parents to check in on their children’s mental health

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The mother of a mass shooter was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in her son's deadly attack. Jennifer Crumbley's guilty verdict comes more than two years after her son, Ethan, shot and killed four students at a high school in Oxford, Michigan. Ethan's mental struggles were highlighted during his mother's trial.

Here are some tips and steps parents can take to promote positive mental health among their children.

The following tips come from El Paso's Emergence Health Network:

Crisis Hotline and crisis walk-in services

• "Emotional Distress: If your child is experiencing extreme emotional distress, such as severe anxiety, sadness, or anger, and you are concerned about their well-being, a crisis hotline can provide immediate emotional support and guidance, and also prompt you to come and visit our 24/7 crisis walk in services where a prompt mental health assessment can be conducted."
• "Self-Harm Thoughts: If your child is having thoughts of self-harm or suicide, it's crucial to contact a crisis hotline immediately or if preferred to bring them to our crisis walk in unit immediately. Trained professionals can help assess the situation, provide coping strategies, and connect you with appropriate resources."
• "Sudden Behavioral Changes: When your child exhibits sudden and uncharacteristic changes in behavior, such as withdrawal, aggression, or excessive irritability, a crisis hotline can offer advice on how to approach and address these changes effectively, as well as to guide you to our crisis walk-in services."

Emergency Department Criteria

• ‌"Risk of Harm: If your child is an immediate risk of harming themselves or others, do not hesitate to take them to the emergency department. This includes situations where self-harm actions are in progress or there is a clear and imminent threat to safety."
• "Severe Self-Harm Actions: If your child has engaged in severe self-harm actions, such as cutting or ingesting harmful substances, they require immediate medical attention, and the emergency department is the appropriate choice."
• "Acute Mental Health Crisis: In cases where your child is experiencing a severe mental health crisis with symptoms like hallucinations, delusions, extreme agitation, or an inability to communicate, it is best to seek help at the emergency department, where the Mobile Crisis Outreach Team will be responding, and assessing the client at the Emergency Department and help with recommendations."

Emergence Health Network