gcvmom
Here we go again!
Went in for my annual pelvic exam this morning (sorry if that's too much information) and the N.P. was chatting with me about her kids, one of which is an apparent difficult child in a big way. Long story short, he's got some kind of mood disorder and she had to 5150 him (involuntary psychiatric hold in our state) a few weeks ago because he assaulted her (he's also been smoking pot, running away, stealing money, etc. -- and mom's going through a divorce of what sounds like an abusive biodad). The kid's at his 3rd psychiatric ward in as many weeks and is headed to an Residential Treatment Center (RTC) soon, and she is just at a loss for how to deal with all this. I could tell she was relieved to be talking with another mom who understands what it's like to deal with mental illness in the family. Her difficult child is 15 and doesn't have a psychiatrist, so I gave her the number for ours and also gave her our local NAMI chapter's website (she'd never heard of them). I kept her way too long in the exam room talking, otherwise I would have also given her this website. She said she may call me with more questions, but who knows. I should send her a note c/o the doctor's office and give her some more resources.
I bring this up because it amazes me how often I meet people who are "secretly" dealing with a difficult child in their life, and I get the opportunity to advocate for the mental health resources that are in my area and here online. I think it's important for any of us who've lived through raising a child with a mental or developmental disorder to be as vocal and as helpful as we can when we meet other parents who are just starting down the road we are on. We all know how lonely and scary it can be. It doesn't take much to give another parent hope -- just acknowledging that they are not alone and that help is out there can be enough to keep them going forward and not give up.
So that's my rah-rah for the day! Everyone here has valuable experiences to share that can help someone else. Everyone.
I bring this up because it amazes me how often I meet people who are "secretly" dealing with a difficult child in their life, and I get the opportunity to advocate for the mental health resources that are in my area and here online. I think it's important for any of us who've lived through raising a child with a mental or developmental disorder to be as vocal and as helpful as we can when we meet other parents who are just starting down the road we are on. We all know how lonely and scary it can be. It doesn't take much to give another parent hope -- just acknowledging that they are not alone and that help is out there can be enough to keep them going forward and not give up.
So that's my rah-rah for the day! Everyone here has valuable experiences to share that can help someone else. Everyone.