Mandy McMoy Skogebo shared a link. 9 minutes ago near San Antonio, TX Please take the time to read this article. I didnt mean to write a book in this status, I just get very passionate about this particular subject. Read my comments or not, sorry if I rambled on. I agree with most of what was said here with the exception of when he says access to guns. People should have their guns secure and out of the hands of children/adolescents (while unsupervised) and people that are mentally unstable and/or depressed. I am PRO 2nd Amendment but PRO Gun Safety and common sense. Its really just not a hard concept. Be Safe. What I absolutely KNOW for a FACT is that parents of children in a mental health crisis are left with very few people/professionals to turn to. They often go for YEARS begging doctors, therapists, school counselors, IEP committees to HELP THEM only to hit a brick wall or inaccurate diagnosis. And thats only if they are lucky enough to find a pediatric/adolescent psychiatrist that accepts their insurance and has an opening not longer than 4 months away. Most often they get slapped with a ADHD diagnosis and given some form of amphetimine which can worsen some mental disturbances in some children. And if they get a diagnosis of depression, they are sometimes prescribed a medication not approved for treatment for under 18 years of age that has a black box warning saying that it can cause suicidal ideation in teenagers, except nobody bothers to tell the parent. And then everyone wonders why the sweet yet slightly peculiar child next door commits suicide. These kids are often TORMENTED by classmates because they cry a lot, cannot focus, cannot sit still, have their hair in their face to hide, are over weight, are under weight, are socially awkward, say weird things, are emo or goth etc. Kids shun them and tease them. They are left with nobody to sit and eat lunch with unless they try their hardest to fit in with just ANYONE that will be nice to them and show them some sort of attention, even if it is negative. And dont be fooled into thinking my kid would NEVER do that. Believe me, Ive seen Precious Princesses and Straight A Students and Star Athletes give verbal beatdowns to the weakest link in the social chain and most of the time, nobody pays attention to it. Either the kids in the hallway laugh or turn the other way. And then these very kids that torment are the first to bring teddy bears, balloons, flowers, and light candles to honor their beloved classmate but the truth is, they were part of the problem in the first place. The hallways are loud and scary for these kids. Some of the poorly trained teachers see their IEPs as emotionally disturbed and sometimes dont understand that these children sometimes also have learning challenges that have gone undiagnosed because their mental health issues have complicated the process of being able to pinpoint discalcula, dyslexia, sequencing issues, processing issues, memory deficits etc. They get called on in class and dont have the answer. Then they cry. Or they crack a joke and get in trouble. Much of the time they are sent to the Behavioral Management Center to get control of their emotions. These rooms are generally run by a basketball coach that doesnt want to be there. Either way, they are not learning and the problem only gets worse because now the child is further behind his peers academically and is going to fail the test on Friday. If these kids were in a wheel chair, they would get help. If these kids had cancer, they would get help. The cheerleaders may even hold a fundraiser to help them pay for treatments. The school may elect them homecoming king or queen. But instead, these children are shunned. Made fun of. Sent to the principals office. Or sent into the juvenile justice system. And sometimes, they just end up dead. And then, its too late for anyone to do a damn thing. And time goes by, and people forget, and nothing is done for the next kid in crisis. But what about hospitals? Dont they help? Sometimes. Sometimes not. Most of the time NOT. And if you are fortunate enough to have insurance to cover the $800+ a day price tag for inpatient mental health treatment at a decent non-profit hospital you are going to have to compete for a bed with a lot of kids that have been in and out of 22 foster homes due to their so called behavior problems and have nowhere else to go because foster parents drop them off and never come back. These kids often finally end up in the state mental health hospital which is really no more than a holding facility until they turn 18. Then, they are the ones on the corners asking for money for a meal. Then most often they go to jail. Thats just how it works for those kids that do not have someone to fight and fight and refuse to sit down, and shut up about their childs need for help. And even if they do have loving parents or guardians willing to go to the ends of the earth to get them help, unless they get to the right person on the right day when the moon and stars and planets are in a special alignment that happens once every sixth Tuesday, they too can get lost in this out of control maize of mental healthcare confusion. It shouldnt be this way. We cannot continue down this path anymore. Believe it or not, these kids are your co-workers kid. Your neighbors kid. And yes, for many of you that have read this all the way to the bottom, its your or a kid that you are very close to. But we all know that we cant talk about that on Facebook right? Its just too risky to be honest about a childs mental health because the truth is, people just dont get it unless theyve lived it. But you canbe sure of one thing, everyone thinks they know what YOU did wrong with your kid. Everyones an expert about parenting at that point. So its just best to keep your mouth shut and battle the mental healthcare giant on your own. While we are talking to our kids about not being a bully I think it is important to explain to them WHY some kids are the way they are. Explain mental health issues specifically and give neurotypical kids the resources they need in order to help instead of hurt these emotionally fragile kids. I did not mean to have written a book. This is just an issue I am obviously extremely passionate about.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 02:40:47 +0000
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