“When mental illness hits at a young age, the teen is often behind his or her peers in many areas.”
As awareness about mental health grows and patients continue to beat the odds and achieve higher levels of wellness, there is a push for the mental health recovery model. This ideal goes beyond using medicine for the suppression of symptoms. It addresses the patient’s quality of life and level of functionality.
In an interview about the recovery model for patients with schizophrenia, UCLA psychiatrist, Stephen R. Marder, explains that families want more than just stabilized symptoms for their loved one. He goes on to say that, “Patients are asking to be able to return to work, to return to school, and even are suggesting that psychiatrists may be underestimating the ability of people with schizophrenia to function in the community.”
Families and patients are often frustrated because they are not offered the kind of specific training Dr. Marder advocates, including social skills training, supportive employment, psychoeducation, and cognitive behavioral therapy. Parents of teens do not have to be told that their work is double if the teen has a mental illness. Besides getting their teen through the illness, parents must simultaneously get their teen through the developmental stages that all teens encounter. This includes learning self-sufficiency skills such as driving and budgeting money, as well as developing social skills. When mental illness hits at a young age, the teen is often behind his or her peers in many areas.
Unfortunately, society is just beginning to understand mental illness. We are still in the young years of fighting ignorance and stigma. Only recently have insurance companies begun to treat behavioral health issues as illnesses. Fortunately, your teen has you. Using your community’s resources, you can address the areas of employment, social skills, psychoeducation, and therapy.
Helping Emotionally Ill Teens Find Employment
If your teen is able to handle a part-time job or volunteer position, this can be a low-pressure way to introduce him or her to the work force. If your teen’s illness requires special support, look to organizations that understand mental illness. For example, your teen can volunteer at the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI).
Try contacting your state’s Department of Rehabilitation, who will sometimes begin working with your teen in high school. My daughter met with her Department of Rehabilitation counselor right at the high school. Her counselor gave her access to career inventory testing, so that she can figure out where her strengths lie. Together, they created an education plan that will lead to her future employment.
Helping Emotionally Ill Teens Develop Social Skills
Teens who are behind in social skills have a number of options, starting with a friendly club at high school.There are many volunteer opportunities for teens to test the waters of socializing while having a purpose. Check your community newspaper for activities available to teens or ask your school psychologist.
It is common for teens who are struggling with a mental illness to declare that nothing appeals to them. If you think your teen is ready to handle a social activity, have him or her choose one activity and attend for at least one month. If you think it will help, provide an incentive for taking this step. If your teen is still too scared to try an activity, see if a local therapist offers group therapy for teens. Sometimes a large behavioral health medical office or hospital offers teen group therapy. It can be a safe way for your teen to get to know other teens with similar struggles.
Often, teens with a mental illness become especially close to their parents. They may find that they prefer to be around adults. If your teen frets about being able to relate more to adults than peers, say that before long he or she will be an adult. Often, kids who have been through a tough time emotionally are more sophisticated in understanding the real world than their peers are. This is especially true if the teen has had extensive therapy or been in the hospital and witnessed a range of teen issues. Teens like this often find that they can relate to their peers better when they get to college. In the meantime, they often find like-minded teens in some of the more interactive classes at school, such as art, drama, or yearbook.
Sometimes teens are overly sensitive about their social mistakes, believing that an awkward moment means that they aren’t cut out for socializing. At these times, remind your teen of the following:
- Other teens make the same mistakes and get equally upset at themselves.
- Regret over a social situation signifies that they now understand how to handle a similar situation next time.
- Growth can be painful, but the results are worth it.
- There are only so many types of social mistakes a person can make, so every time they make one, they cross one off of the list. Practice develops skill.
- Teens feel less self-conscious if they focus on trying to understand how other teens feel.
Psychoeducation for Teen Mental Illness
As one therapist told me, “It is not possible to become too informed about your loved one’s mental illness.” There are a number of outstanding books on mental illnesses. These books will increase your understanding and help you to think of your own solutions to the issues that face your teen. In many cases, teens are not interested in reading these books, but you can read them and explain what you have learned. If you look through Amazon, you can find books specifically geared to teens. Here are some of my favorites, listed by diagnosis:
Essential Books for Teen Anxiety
The Anxiety Workbook for Teens: Activities to Help You Deal with Anxiety and Worry, by Lisa M. Schab
The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety, by John P. Forsyth and Georg H. Eifert
Essential Books for Teen Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for Patients and Families, by Francis Mark Mondimore
The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide, by David J. Miklowitz
BP Magazine
Essential Books for Teen Cutting and Self-Injury
When Your Child is Cutting, by Sony Khemlani-Patel, Merry McVey-Noble and Fugen Neziroglu
Helping Kids Who Cut, by Michael Hollander
Essential Books for Teen Depression
Rescuing Your Teenager from Depression, by Norman T. Berlinger
Overcoming Teen Depression: A Guide for Parents, by Dr. Miriam Kaufman
Adolescent Depression: A Guide for Parents, by Francis Mark Mondimore
NAMI: What Families Need to Know about Adolescent Depression (read it online)
Essential Books for Schizophrenia
The First Episode of Psychosis, by Michael T Compton and Beth Broussard
The Everything Health Guide to Schizophrenia, by Dean Haycock and Elias K. Shaya
Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Patients, and Providers Paperback by E. Fuller Torrey
Sz Magazine
Other Essential Books for Teen Mental Illness
When Someone You Love Has a Mental Illness by Rebecca Woolis
I Am Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help! How to Help Someone with Mental Illness Accept Treatment. by Xavier Amador
Therapy for Teens
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on how one’s thoughts and feelings affect their choices and behavior. This approach helps teens to step away from their emotions in order to evaluate their thinking and decisions. Working with a therapist, teens can understand that they are separate from their illness. They will learn positive coping skills and apply them to their daily life and relationships. Finding the right therapist for a teen can take some patience and diligence. Try these suggestions from Hiring the Right Therapist for Your Teen.
Remember Physical Health for the Mentally Ill Teen
Sometimes when a teen has been ill for some time, the patient, doctor, and family can become so focused on mental health that physical issues may become neglected. For example, teens sometimes gain weight when they take antidepressants, mood stabilizers, or antipsychotics. Some of the medicines worsen acne or increase thirst, risk of sunburn or overheating. Make sure you are aware of the side effects of your teen’s medicines. If there is a new complaint, suspect the medicine first and have the doctor address it. Recently, my daughter was struggling with more fatigue than usual. I assumed it was related to her illness or to her medicines. Then the doctor checked her iron. To my surprise, it was low. It’s easy to get so sidetracked by the illness that you forget other aspects of the teen’s health.
Your teen should have blood work done regularly to make sure the medicine is not affecting such things as cholesterol or liver function. Try to incorporate some exercise into your teen’s daily routine, but be watchful of overheating or dehydration. Try to identify things that give him or her pleasure, then help make time for these activities or opportunities. Joy and pleasure, even in small things, should be a regular part of life. If there is something your family enjoys doing together, try to make time for it so that it happens often.
The teen years pass quickly. I remember some very good advice I received from my children’s pediatrician when my son was still recovering from bipolar disorder and my daughter was struggling with psychosis. He said, “Even though you’re going through all this, don’t forget to enjoy life.” I think that summarizes the goal of the recovery model.
“A new drug trial requires that you and your teen be watchful about any change in symptoms, especially during the first two weeks.”