How to Cope With Mental Illness

If you have a child that has been diagnosed with a mental illness, you have to make a plan for the treatment. You have to find a good psychiatrist and therapist to help with the counseling. If they are diagnosed as Bipolar at the age of 6, they may develop schizophrenia by the time they are 18 years old. There will mood swings, maybe they will be hearing voices telling them what to do, and they sometimes respond to the voices. They may exhibit unknown behavior that you know that they should know better that to act out. You will have to get good psychiatric help immediately. The longer you wait the worst the situation becomes. More than likely they will never get over the illness, they have to learn to cope with the illness, and so do you. Try to remain calm throughout the ordeal. You may start to wonder where the mental illness came from, your family or your husband. It did come from some of your family and it is inherited. It was passed along through the genes. The illness is here and you must deal with it in an intelligent manner.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Psychiatrist
• Psychologist
• Therapist
• Medication
• Normal activities
• No undue excitment
• Calm enviroment
• No candy or excessive sweets.
• Good diet.
• Tutoring for school work.
• Back-up sitters.
• Relief from the strain and stress of managing the child.
• Mini-vacations.

1. You should know the symptoms of mental illness and try to understand them. If you child is socially withdrawing from activities with other children and activities, and not doing well in school you should notice that something is wrong.

2. If your child is usually tired and seems to be depressed, for no reason, something is wrong. If they can't sleep, and won't participate in fun activities, they are considered depressed.

3. If they become hostile and or they are crying for no reason, this is a sign of mental illness. Notice if they are unable to cope with little things that happen without coming apart.

4. If you notice that their hygiene is suddenly hostile, and they won't bath, forgetting everything for no reason. Just starring and not talking for no reason. If they are older they may have started to use drugs. Any threat of suicide, should be taken seriously.

5. What kind of mental illness are they suffering from, you need a skilled psychiatrist, or psychologist. The psychologist can't prescribe any medication. They may be suffering from schizophrenia, delusions, hallucinations, change in behavior, change in emotions, some kind of mania. They will need some medication to help them come back to a normal behavior.

Tips & Warnings

• Get some medication to help.
• If they are psychotic, you can check out Ability; Risperdal, Thorazine, Zeldox, Zyprexa, Haldol, are just a few of the helpful medicines.
• If your child develops an allergic reaction to the medication, they will do so in the first two months.
• Reactions include rash, fever, sore throat, stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.
• Look for dizziness, or drowsiness.