Some symptoms or reactions are so serious that a pediatrician or a psychiatrist should be consulted immediately:

• The child talks about suicide. Children don't talk idly about suicide to get attention. Once they have begun to talk about it, they also may have begun to plan a way to do it.
• The child appears to be accident prone. In younger children a succession of accidents can become the equivalent of suicide attempts.
• The child mutilates himself in some way--cutting or scarring himself, pulling out his hair, or biting fingernails until nail beds bleed.
• The child mutilates or kills animals.
• The child's eating habits change to the point that his weight is affected. This can be caused by either overeating or undereating.
• The child adopts ritualistic behaviors. This is indicative of obsessive-compulsive disorder. A child may have to line up her toys in a certain way every night, for example, or get ready for bed following a routine that never varies. If she forgets one item in the routine, she must start all over again.
• The child beats up others--another child, a parent, or other adult.
• The child is using alcohol or other drugs.
• The child is sexually active or on the verge of becoming so. Again, this is rare in children 12 and under but certainly not unheard of, especially since there is great pressure on kids today to become sexually active at progressively earlier ages. When children are depressed or their self-esteem is low, they may be more vulnerable to that pressure. Also, if they are still hurting from feelings of rejection and loneliness related to the divorce, they may be searching for love and affection and have a need to prove their lovability.

Source: American Psychiatric Association

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