Emotional Disturbance is defined by the US Department of Education as:
Emotional disturbance means a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child’s educational performance:
- An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.
- An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.
- Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.
- A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
- A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.
Emotional disturbance includes schizophrenia. The term does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance.
Please note that the Palo Alto CAC does not recommend or endorse any particular organization or program, but includes this information for the benefit of families with special needs kids.
Crisis Hotline : Need help? call 1-855-278-4204.
The Santa Clara County Suicide & Crisis Hotline is a 24-hour, toll-free confidential suicide prevention hotline available 7 days a week for phone intervention and emotional support by highly trained volunteer Crisis Phone Counselors to help individuals.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
No matter what problems you are dealing with, they want to help you find a reason to keep living. By calling you’ll be connected to a skilled, trained counselor at a crisis center in your area, anytime 24/7.
ACS (Adolescent Counseling Services)
Emotional Health and Well-Being of Our Children Parent Education Evening of CAC Selpa 1
Schools in our area are competitive. This is hard on typical students, and doubly hard on learning-challenged students and can lead to stress, depression, high-risk behaviors and self-injury. How do we as parents support our children and give them the tools to not only survive but thrive? The presentations of this parent ed meeting are available here.
Reach Out
Mental Health Education for Youth.
HEARD (Health Care Alliance for Response to Adolescent Depression)
Resources list of HEARD with information on Mental Helath.
NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health)
General information on Mental Health issues.
MHA (Mental Health America)
Mental Health America (MHA) is the nation’s leading community-based non-profit dedicated to helping all Americans achieve wellness by living mentally healthier lives.
TEAM (Teaching Everyone About Mental Health)
A website built by Mackenzie Drazan after the suicide of her sister Shelby. Gives information about some treatment options and what to do when. The website is dedicated to pooling helpful resources and sharing stories in order to help create community and help guide those who are trying to help.
More Than Sad
More Than Sad is a program of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention that provides education about factors that put youth at risk for suicide, in particular depression and other mental disorders. They also developed a film to educate high school students about depression, the leading risk factor for suicide in both adults and teens. Presenting vignettes of four teens who were treated for depression, this 26-minute film aims to teach adolescents to recognize depression in themselves or their friends, and to encourage them to seek help.