I learned in a webinar the other day that there are only about 8500 pediatric psychiatrists in the U.S. Since I was familiar with the statistic that about 8 million adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18 suffer from mental health problems, I found the small number of doctors hard to believe. Yet a quick search yields the same alarming fact from such sources as the American Academy of Childhood and Adolescent Psychiatry, the Washington Post, and Psychology Today. Most family doctors are not trained to handle these issues, and can only refer. Some areas of the country have almost no coverage at all.
Almost as hard to find are counselors and therapists. Still harder are those trained in the best evidence-based treatment for certain illnesses, like Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for those with Borderline Personality Disorder. When a kid needs a higher level of care, finding a bed in an appropriate hospital can involve a long wait. Finding a treatment team who takes your insurance can be a huge issue.
IEP meetings and follow-up meetings to ensure the IEP is being implemented can be a nightmare, depending on the school and the training and resources of the staff. It can all add up to the overwhelming conclusion:
I cannot get my kid the help she needs.
That frantic feeling of helplessness can break our hearts and crush our spirits. Society and the medical profession have let us down. Teachers and administrators can seem like enemies. We can even be tempted to believe God has abandoned us in our dire need.
What can we do?
• Network: Call people you know in the medical field and ask for advice. We were eventually able to get an appointment with a pediatric psychiatrist in our area through the personal request of a doctor friend of friends.
• Get in touch with advocacy groups like National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) who can give information and advice about mental health care in your area.
• Find out about resources through your local Office of Mental Health. Between the ages of 14 and 18, our son made use of four different long-term programs through our county.
• Ask other parents. Support groups are great for this, but even just approaching someone can yield a wealth of often hard-won knowledge. Sometimes you can go to a pastor and ask if there is someone in your church who has been through it with their child. The pastor can ask that person if they would be willing to talk to you. This method works with other friends and groups too. Many people “know somebody who.”
• Pray and Trust. This one may seem like the least practical item on the list, but it the most powerful. Trust in God’s goodness. Believe that He loves you and your child and cares what happens. Know that He is able to accomplish what concerns you. Don’t give up, but follow every lead, trusting that He will guide you to the right path.
“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. The LORD will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.”
Psalms 138:7-8
Can I pray for you while you seek the help your kid needs? Leave a comment or contact me through the contact page at kirstenp.com
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