Finding quality mental health care is not as easy as looking through your insurance company's provider book or even doing on online search. You might think you've found someone that you have a rapport with and as time goes by, you realize that he/she wasn't really listening.
Being the parent of a child who has a mental illness can be even more frustrating. Finding quality care that specializes in children/adolescents and teens takes time and as a parent, time is of the essence. No parent wants to see their child suffer longer than they have to.
Some child psychiatrists are quick to diagnose, usually the diagnosis is ADHD or depression. Most are often very quick to prescribe medication and then others are slow to give a definite diagnosis. It does take time to properly diagnose a mental illness. The criteria is such that the professional needs to observe the child over a period of time and really factor in all aspects such as family history in order to not be quick to judge. Many psychiatrists (other doctors fit into this mold also) seem to resent the patient or parent of a patient who is well-read. A parent needs to walk a fine line between being their child's advocate and respecting who the doctor is. Unfortunately, some doctors take offense to a parent who wants to be hands-on with their child's treatment.
This parent says "Too bad!". This is MY child we are talking about. I want to know about all the side effects of any medication that is prescribed for my child. I understand fully that with some brain disorders that medication is not an option. I have read enough to know that there often can be less medication prescribed when other treatments are used. I firmly believe that there is no "magic" pill that will make all my daughter's symptoms disappear. She needs to learn coping skills also. Relying on medication to "fix" all is a big problem that too many people in the country have. Self-control, responsibility, coping with everyday stress can not be dealt with by popping a pill.
Not to mention the fact that many psychiatric medications that the FDA approves for use on children have not had lengthy enough studies to impress me. How do I know 5 or even 10 years down the road that the medications she is on now will not affect her in some negative way? If I continue to allow psychiatrists to increase her dosages what will work for her when she is 20, 30 or even 40 years old??
If an early-onset bipolar child has sleep issues (which many of them do) what is the matter with experimenting with an all-natural cure before taking another medication that may cause more side effects and mess up the balance she has achieved?
Then there are the doctors who do not want to label your child with anything but are still quick to pull out their prescription pad. Finding the balance between the two feels like an impossibility. Yes, being a parent of a mentally ill child is a challenge but the only option is to keep fighting for your child. The parent who sits back and allows the doctor to prescribe away without questioning is doing their child a disservice. Parents need to be involved in their child's treatment. If you child had any other medical issue you would ask questions. Thanks to the internet, there is plenty of information available. There are excellent organizations like NAMI and Bring Change 2 Mind which are helping to educate and reduce the stigma attached to mental illness. Parents do not need to be misinformed or ignorant about mental illness. Education gives you the power to get the best treatment for your child and that is what a parent does- takes care of them.
No comments:
Post a Comment