Photos courtesy of Nationwide Children's Hosptial
Mental health. It’s a real thing, yet for some reason it seems less real to us than our physical health. It wasn’t until recently that we even started talking about a healthy mental state; historically, mental illness has been cast in a very mysterious, negative light, only highlighting abnormalities, thus creating a stigma.
Though it is seen primarily as an adult’s burden, mental illness has always affected children as well. According to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, one in five children in our community is living with a mental illness and 50 percent of all lifetime mental illnesses start by age 14. Thankfully, Grove City has a growing and supportive community of parent advocates and mental health resources to help individuals and families find a treatment plan that works for them.
Parent Advocates
Though some parents aren’t ready to talk publicly about their struggles with pediatric mental illness, a mother from Grove City agreed to anonymously share her family’s experiences, the challenges they’ve faced and the insights they’ve gained.
One major challenge was getting others to understand that mental illness, and the behavioral issues associated with it, are not the result of a spoiled child or poor parenting. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for the whole family to understand and participate in treatment. Having full familial support is critical to a child’s success in recognizing and maintaining a healthy course of treatment.
“At the age of 5 or 6, we noticed she struggled with small decisions and situations that the other children in the family had never struggled with. This included everything from getting dressed in the morning to taking simple instructions,” says the Grove City mother.
Consequential concepts didn’t seem to translate for their daughter, which made associating actions with results, good and bad, an uphill battle. Even the smallest of disappointing moments would lead her into hours of what her parents ultimately called “episodes.” Even at the young age of 7, these episodes would often peak with her saying she didn’t want to be alive, yet end with remorse of her actions, begging for forgiveness and sharing gratitude that her parents didn’t “give up” on her.
“Our goal is to eliminate the stigma around mental illness in children and young adults, provide much-needed educational resources and accelerate funding for mental health research here at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.” - Donna Teach, chief marketing and communications officer at Nationwide Children’s
Seeking professional advice, they visited their general physician, Dr. Bradley Dickson at Health One Pediatrics, and were ultimately referred to counseling with Dr. Jocelyn Good at Grove City Psychological Services, who eventually determined the behavioral issues likely stem from mental illness.
“It takes many, many months to identify the exact issue and find the best combination of treatments to help. This is exhausting to everyone involved: the child, family, teachers/caregivers, treatment team,” says the mother. “Fortunately, the South-Western City School District seems to be accepting, understanding and accommodating, as much as they can be, of the struggles (my daughter) faces.”
While helping the daughter obtain an individualized education plan, a school psychologist at Buckeye Woods Elementary was the first to mention that some learning difficulties were also present.
Now 13 years old, the daughter is still battling bipolar disorder on a daily basis and sees her counselor three times a month at minimum, her pediatrician about once a month and a physical therapist on occasion. She loves to volunteer, create art and visit local pet stores with her mother, all of which help her focus on positive thoughts and feel in control of herself.
The mother points out that public criticism and personal denial are very dangerous and counterproductive to the management of this lifelong illness.
“It is of great importance that she be accepting of her diagnosis, speak openly about it and play an active role in her treatment, so that she can eventually manage her own care and hopefully someday live symptom-free.”
Local Resources
Though the existing resources in Grove City are limited, there are several passionate medical professionals pushing for the integration of mental health into general care facilities. Health One Pediatrics is a prime example, having a working relationship with Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s behavioral specialists and Grove City Psychological Services.
“My management is making rapid inroads into hiring and integrating child and adolescent psychologists, licensed counselors and psychiatric nurse practitioners at Health One,” says Dickson. “By mid-2019, we are planning to be able to provide a greatly expanded service to our patients with mental health diagnoses, while maintaining our thriving general pediatric practice.”
#OnOurSleeves
This year, Nationwide Children’s launched an initiative to promote awareness and reduce the stigma associated with mental health in children. On Our Sleeves, which officially launched Oct. 10 on World Mental Health Day, aims to build a community of support for children living with mental illness through advocacy, education and fundraising.
Drawing on the old adage to wear your heart on your sleeve, the movement urges parents to open a dialogue with their children about thoughts and feelings.
“We launched On Our Sleeves to create a network of support around the millions of families across America living with mental illness,” says Donna Teach, chief marketing and communications officer at Nationwide Children’s. “Our goal is to eliminate the stigma around mental illness in children and young adults, provide much-needed educational resources and accelerate funding for mental health research here at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.”
The hospital, which hopes to combat the tragic spike in youth suicide rates with a better understanding of the causes and most effective treatments of behavioral and mental health conditions, is using all donated funds to expand care and accelerate research on pediatric mental health.
“Thanks to a transformational $50 million gift from Big Lots and (its) foundation, Nationwide Children’s Hospital will construct America’s largest behavioral health treatment and research center just for children and adolescents,” says Teach.
The building is slated to open in early 2020. Visit www.onoursleeves.org for more information about the movement and how you can donate.
Jenny Wise is an associate editor. Feedback welcome at jwise@cityscenemediagroup.com.
