Mental
illness is more prevalent than most people realize. According to the National Alliance on Mental
Illness (NAMI), 1 in 5 children has mental illness. NAMI also notes that 50% of mental health
issues begin by age 14 and 75% by age 24.
Unfortunately, half of children with mental illness do not get treatment
in any given year. Further, children
with mental illness have the highest dropout rate of any disability.
Family
caregivers of children with special needs may be dealing with their child’s mental
health issues. It’s better to plan ahead
for a mental health crisis so parents aren’t trying to find the information
they need at the same time as they are dealing with a crisis.
Mental Health Defined
Families
need to remember that mental health, like physical health, is “biologically
based.” This means that there is
typically a chemical imbalance.
Unfortunately, there is still stigma associated with mental health and
inaccurate stereotypes. Parents need to
know that there should not be shame or blame involved. Just as a diabetic needs insulin, children with mental illness can’t help the fact
that they have mental illness or the conditions associated with this disability. The organ affected just happens to be the
brain in which symptoms show up as behavior.
What Parents Can Do
Prevention
is key to avoiding getting to a crisis point.
Families need to mention their concerns about their child’s behavior and
mental health needs to their child’s pediatrician. Ways to get help include:
v Many states have
a Department of Children and Families which can offer assistance.
v Some states have
a “Children’s System of Care” which covers behavioral health. There may also be “mobile response” available
for crisis intervention which means they would go to where the child is,
including home, to try and deescalate the crisis and stabilize the situation.
v Due to the
shortage of pediatric mental health providers, states may use a model using a primary
care doctor consulting remotely with a child psychiatrist.
v In some states,
there are day programs used for transition from the hospital if the child isn’t
ready to go back to their previous school.
Families who may be having difficulty dealing with the school district
can contact their Parent Training and Information Center.
v Help their child
understand their condition and learn to self-advocate. An excellent booklet is “The Storm in My
Brain” which also helps siblings understand what is happening with their
sibling, which is found at http://www.dbsalliance.org/pdfs/storm.pdf
What if Families Disagree with Mental
Health Professionals
It
is vital to attend all family meetings discussing discharge. Families should also be getting information
on progress on an ongoing basis. Unfortunately,
research shows that the 28 day stay that was previously the norm for
stabilization has decreased since 1999 down to 5 days. If parents think that their child isn’t ready
to go home, they must advocate for a longer stay. They could emphasize if they feel like their
child is “a danger to self or others.”
Families can also express their concern that their child could end up
back in the emergency room, starting treatment over, or that their child could
end up getting involved in behavior that leads to police involvement. There are organizations that will help
parents to advocate for their children. Families
can get help with mental health issues from the Federation of Families for
Children’s Mental Health (FFCMH), or the National Alliance on Mental Illness. These organizations also have workshops for
families to help them deal with a child with mental health issues, and could
address other issues such as minor consent to treatment in some states.
Parents
who get information about their child’s mental illness and treatment options
will help improve outcomes for their child.
Resources
Federation of Families for
Children’s Mental Health
National Alliance on Mental Illness
http://www.nami.org/Find-Support/Family-Members-and-Caregivers
Parent Training & Information
Centers
For Kids Only
Going to a Psychiatrist,
Psychologist, or Therapist http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/emotion/going_to_therapist.html
Five Steps for Fighting Stress
The Story on Stress
For Teens
Kids Health has a series including
topics like feeling sad, feelings & emotions, body image, etc. at http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/ or Spanish http://kidshealth.org/teen/en_espanol/index.html
Remain Hopeful,
Lauren
Lauren Agoratus is a parent/advocate
who works for the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network and serves as the NJ
Coordinator for Family Voices (www.spanadvocacy.org), a national network that works to “keep families at the center
of children’s healthcare” at www.familyvoices.org
or
FB www.facebook.com/pages/Family-Voices-Inc-National/137783182902269. She also serves as NJ representative
supporting caregivers across the lifespan for the Caregiver Action Network
(formerly National Family Caregivers Association) in a volunteer capacity at http://caregiveraction.org/
or
FB www.facebook.com/CaregiverActionNetwork.
