Preparing a mentally ill child for adulthood

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Preparing a mentally ill child for adulthood

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The light is at the end of the tunnel. You see that they are about to graduate from high school. You are wondering, now what? How do I continue to get services for my child? What am I going to do? It's a scary proposition. We think of it in our household as meaningful survivorship. Make sure that they are seeing a good psychiatrist or therapist. If they are on meds, make sure those meds are maintained. Make sure that they are doing everything that they are supposed to do. Now they have been diagnosed and they have had some services, hopefully. They are continuing on that path. At some point in time, like any child, that bird has got to leave the nest and fly out on its own. They are going to have to take responsibility for themselves, at least you hope they do. I don't think a parent has ever just going to wash their hands of the situation. Make sure that they are getting the services that they need and they are going to, on their own, have the will and desire to continue, so that they can maintain and survive.

Watch Video: Preparing a mentally ill child for adulthood by Jay Gaylen, ...

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Jay Gaylen

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Jay Gaylen is the dad of a now 22-year old daughter who was diagnosed as a teen with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), Bi-Polar II and ADHD. Jay and his wife, Renu, adopted Joslyn from Thailand. The process started when Joslyn was just nine months old. It took nearly two years to complete the adoption process — a good reason why Joslyn is a RAD kid. They sought help from numerous resources before discovering NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). Jay began lecturing for NAMI’s Parents and Teachers as Allies program while being trained to teach the Family to Family and Basics courses.

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Transcription: 
The light is at the end of the tunnel. You see that they are about to graduate from high school. You are wondering, now what? How do I continue to get services for my child? What am I going to do? It's a scary proposition. We think of it in our household as meaningful survivorship. Make sure that they are seeing a good psychiatrist or therapist. If they are on meds, make sure those meds are maintained. Make sure that they are doing everything that they are supposed to do. Now they have been diagnosed and they have had some services, hopefully. They are continuing on that path. At some point in time, like any child, that bird has got to leave the nest and fly out on its own. They are going to have to take responsibility for themselves, at least you hope they do. I don't think a parent has ever just going to wash their hands of the situation. Make sure that they are getting the services that they need and they are going to, on their own, have the will and desire to continue, so that they can maintain and survive.