Last night, on 20/20, there was a segment on Schizophrenia in Children. I haven't seen the entire episode but I did watch some of it on-line today. If you click here, it will take you to the video. While the behaviors are not exactly the same as what I see at home every day, there are some definite similarities.
Since this morning, I've read a number of comments on the story. I shouldn't read them but I do and they make me angry. Many of them are written in ignorance. Almost all of them are hurtful to the parents (or other caregivers) of the mentally ill. I'd just like to state my feelings on them.
- The behavior of our children is not a lack of discipline. In our particular case, we have tried just about every behavior modification you can think of . . . with little to no improvement. Yes, like any parent, I've made mistakes in how and when I've chosen to discipline but I don't let my children do whatever they want.
- The behaviors of mentally ill children are out of the norm. If you put a mentally ill child next to one who is mentally well and the same age, you are likely to see very distinct differences in the ways they act. Some of the behaviors you see may be very disturbing, some may just make the child seem much younger (or older) than they really are.
- For us, we pray for Sarah all of the time. Sarah understands, to the extent that a teen can understand, salvation. We pray for her, she prays for herself and others have been praying for us. We've asked for healing . . . but it appears that the answer is "no." Often, I find myself praying for my own strength - getting through some days is VERY difficult.
- If there are parents out there that have their child act this way for attention, than the parent definitely needs help. Nobody would want this for their child.
- While it often feels like all we do is medicate our child, we have seen the definite effects of no medication and it was not healthy or safe--for her or for the rest of the family.
- The DSM-IV diagnostic criteria is not perfect. Mental illness does not have a checklist of symptoms that identifies one illness over another in explicit terms. It's even worse in children because the signs & symptoms are the same for so many things and they are often unable to really tell you what is going on.
Most parents would tell you that they want only the best for their children. They want their children to grow and to flourish. They want them to have friends and to find something that they find fulfilling. It is heartbreaking to see your child lose friends because she is unable to control her own behavior. I understand the friends not wanting to be around but it doesn't make it any less sad to watch.
I hope that if you're reading this, you will take the time to watch the 20/20 video to get a sense of what families of the mentally ill must live with.
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