| 3/16/2009 3:55:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article | | Upcoming workshop | "What Works, What Helps? Treatment Options in Children's Mental Health" - A free, two-hour training session on Evidence-Based Practices for Children; contact Suzette at 651-645-2948 x102 to make a reservation. All trainings are from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
• Shakopee, Apr. 8, Shakopee Community Center, 1255 Fuller St.
• Apple Valley, Apr. 23, Dakota Ridge School, Media Center, 4629 144th St. W.
• Oakdale, May 7, HSI Building, 7066 Stillwater Blvd. N.
• Red Wing, May 18, Boy Scouts, Twin Bluff Middle School, 2120 Twin Bluff Rd.
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"Is my child normal?" A parent's guide to mental illness
Heather Edwards
staff writer
Is my child normal?
Most parents wonder this at one time or another. But how can you tell if your child is experiencing typical "kid" behavior, or showing symptoms of an underlying disorder?
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)-MN branch, located in St. Paul, hosts a workshop that will help parents assess whether or not their child has a mental illness.
"What Works? What Helps?" assists parents in becoming aware of their child's symptoms, seeking professional help and finding treatments that will help their child. Symptoms such as frequent crying, excessive worrying, inattention, forgetfulness, rigidity, annoyance, aggression and stomach aches are just a few of the symptoms that might indicate something is wrong.
A mental illness is described by NAMI as a "medical illness whose symptoms are behaviors." These mental illnesses include Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), anxiety, depression, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and Conduct Disorder (CD)and substance abuse.
Autism is not a mental illness; it's considered a developmental disability or disorder. However, kids with autism or Asperger's syndrome - a higher-functioning type of autism - may have a mental illness such as ADHD, anxiety, or a mood disorder that may go undetected.
Statistically speaking, 2/3rds of all children with mental illness are undiagnosed, according to NAMI, whose staff work hard to help parents both understand and cope with their children's issues.
At many of their workshops, parents learn that while many mental illnesses can have alarming symptoms, parents need to act immediately if their child is setting fires, exhibiting cruelty to animals, displaying aggression toward younger children or are hurting themselves. In addition, if the child is talking about dying, giving away their possessions and saying, "I don't want to live," or, "I wish I was dead," a parent should seek immediate help. In this case, contact a mental health provider, a mobile crisis team in your county, or take your child to the nearest emergency department.
Call 911 if there is an immediate threat to your child or someone else.
If you suspect your child has a mental illness, but their symptoms are less alarming then the ones already mentioned, NAMI suggests you begin documenting the behaviors you are seeing. Jot down the behavior, its intensity, duration and frequency, and any possible triggers. Be as descriptive as possible. For example, don't write, "She's moody." Instead, write, "She yells one minute and cries the next."
When you've collected a fair amount of information, prioritize the top three behaviors and look for themes and patterns to those behaviors. Then seek help from professionals, such as licensed psychologists, psychiatric nurse practitioners or licensed independent clinical social workers. Those providers will conduct a diagnostic assessment, which determines a diagnosis and guides the treatment plan for a child.
Treatment options vary for each child, but treatments often include psychoeducation, which teaches children about their mental illness and how it may affect them. Psychoeducation will help children understand the type and length of treatment they might expect and reassures them that there are other children who cope with the same illness.
Other treatments for mental illness in children include assertiveness training, in which children learn how to have their needs met without being aggressive, and parent psychoeducation, in which parents learn about their child's illness and develop ways in which to support their child.
Treatment for mental illness in children has proven to be effective, if correctly diagnosed.
"The key to helping children and adolescents diagnosis with mental illness is early intervention and treatment," says NAMI's Suzette Scheele. "We know treatment works and there is hope that every child diagnosis with mental illness can go on to lead productive lives."
Scheele knows firsthand that children can have success in dealing with their mental illness, because she has two children with diagnosed mental illnesses.
"When my son was diagnosed with bipolar disorder (at age 14) I was devastated," she says. "Now my son is a freshman in college, working part time as a tutor and doing well."
Her daughter's situation, though different, was just as devastating.
"In high school my daughter's grades started falling. She became withdrawn and stopped hanging out with her friends," says Scheele. "We saw a doctor who helped her make lifestyle changes and prescribed medication that put her on a path toward recovery. Now she is a sophomore in college and is also doing well."
Which is one of the reasons she stays involved with NAMI.
"NAMI gave me hope when I thought there was no hope, " Scheele says. "There is always hope for kids with mental illness."
For more information on NAMI, log on to www.namihelps.org or contact them at 651-645-2948.
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