Denial
Parents, ignoring mental illness in your child can have serious consequences. Yes, I’m starting strong with this one, but stay with me. It is tempting to believe or assume that your child is okay. Mental illness can slip under the radar, especially if you don’t know what to look for. After all, the symptoms are often behavioral rather than the telltale signs that someone has asthma or something.
Parents ignoring mental illness
To be sure parents are you In denial about mental illness? Your child might want to spend a lot of time by themselves. As a matter of fact, they may seem angry a lot or have dark humor or express independent through morbid art. None of these are definitive in itself, so it is understandable that the people in their life miss them.
Parents ignoring mental illness
For example Add to this that masking is a common tactic that mentally ill people use (subconsciously, sometimes) to hide what they are going through, and it’s easy to think or tell yourself that nothing is wrong. In other words, they may seem happy and easy-going while there is a lot going on below the surface.
Parents ignoring mental illness
Granted, (there’s also the issue of stigma, which can make it harder not only for suffers to accept that they are struggling, but for their loved ones to accept it, too.) The thing is, though, most times little things that children and teens do when they are suffering are actually cries for help. At times, they don’t know how to express that something is wrong or they’re afraid of being judged or they don’t want to be a burden.
Parents ignoring mental illness
Most importantly, mental health problems and there is a multitude of reasons. Also, adults often tell young people (directly or indirectly) to smile, to be happy, without really equipping them with the tools to deal with the things they are going through. They may internalize this by pretending they are okay when they’re not. However, there are often signs that slip through the cracks of the happy masks. Your child may really depressed.
Parents ignoring mental illness
To put it another way by missing these signs or my dismissing their concerns, you as a parent or other caregiver run the risk of inadvertently telling your child that you don’t care. This is one of the worst things a child can experience. The world is as a scary and dangerous place and believing that the people who say they love you and whose job it is to take care of you don’t care about your issues is makes the world an even worse place to live.
What happens when mental health is ignored? All this can lead to untreated mental health issues. Depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. Which can have serious effects on the teenager life if left untreated. In other words, you as caregiver need to watch for anything that looks off. Because you the child’s first line of defense.
Parents ignoring mental illness
Finally, even if they are not suffering, one of the most empowering things you can do for your child is to validate their experiences. Next make them feel that they are worthy of being listened to and respected. While not everything that may seem worrying is proof that there is some underlying mental health issue, early detection can literally save your child’s life. Parents are in denial.
In conclusion, Mental health awareness is everyday. If you are concerned, don’t be ashamed to talk to a mental health professional about whether they think psychotherapy might be helpful. Don’t just send your child to a shrink and leave it at that. Get involved. (Without being stifling, of course!) Ask the professional and your child what you can do to help.
Without doubt, Yes, this is scary. I get that. Depression is the deadliest and you don’t know how to deal with your once happy child. There are many unknowns and variables, and it’s hard to maneuver it all. This is why your child needs you. In many ways, you and your child are a team. You can do this together before it’s too late.
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