Parenting a young adult with mental health issues can be extremely challenging. If you have an adolescent who’s struggling with substance abuse, depression, anxiety disorder, or other mental illness, you already know how complicated things can get when it comes to making decisions about the right treatment options for your child.
The good news is that there are resources out there that can help you when the young adult in your life is struggling. In researching options, talking to the professionals, and having honest conversations with your teenager, you’ll be one step closer to finding an appropriate treatment for your child. If you have a child suffering from mental illness and aren’t sure if they need more help, read on for some things to consider.
Researching Options
The first way to know if your teenager needs more help with behavior therapy, panic disorder tools, dialectical behavior therapy, or any other type of treatment they’re in is to talk to their current case manager or therapist. The reality is that not all teens respond to mental health conditions and treatments the same way. A group therapy program that might work for one teenager could be a challenge for another. Professionals with experience with your child will be able to help you to understand treatment options and research mental health facilities for teens that could be a great match for your child.
Unfortunately, many parents are hesitant to send children to residential programs with fears that their teenagers don’t need that level of care or could miss out on normal teenage milestones while in treatment. The truth is that your child’s treatment team can go over the pros and cons of a higher level of care if you’re worried. In working closely with this team, you’ll be able to make decisions about the next step for your child.
Having Honest Conversations
If your child is like many young people, they may have trouble talking to adults about mental health programs, mental health disorders, drug use, and symptoms like insomnia or anxiety and panic attacks. It’s important that you create a safe space for your child to talk to you about what they’re going through so that you can advocate for them. Consider attending a therapy session with your child occasionally. Even adding family therapy to a care plan that includes CBT for anxiety could open doors to better communication between you and your child.
Asking for Professional Opinions
When seeking professional opinions on your child’s care, don’t leave your child out of the conversation. Your child will want to know they’re heading to a supportive environment where they can get tools and learn new skills to cope with things like suicidal ideation and panic attacks.
By making your child part of the conversation with staff members, psychiatrists, therapists, and other professionals, you’ll be telling them you trust them to work toward advocating for themselves. This alone could help promote transparent communication to the extent that you’ll be able to get honest answers from your teenager about alcohol addiction, negative behaviors, vulnerabilities, and more. Your child’s ability to ask for more help will be worth the extra work.
At the end of the day, you know your child’s strengths and family issues. Most often, as the parent, it’ll be up to you whether your child is placed in 24-hour care, a partial hospitalization program, or therapy alone. In working with social workers, therapists, educators, and your teenager, you’ll be able to collect information and tools to make a decision that’s right for your family.
Trust yourself as you navigate this challenging time and remember to get help for yourself, too.