There’s some good information in the article about the kidnapping of Elizabeth Thomas in Tennessee recently, and how some of the signs might have been missed by everyone involved. While we hope for her safety, let’s also learn something from it as well about how to keep things from reaching this point with the next teen girl or boy.
http://people.com/crime/tennessee-amber-alert-grooming-alleged-abduction/
Have you been a target of stigma because of someone you love’s mental health issues? I can see where this would happen quite frequently, with people judging how well you are “taking care of” your loved one. It’s also ridiculous. “Mental health stigma affects the loved ones of a person with mental illness, not only the…
I wish this wasn’t true, but I’m afraid my wishing it isn’t going to change the reality: “We’re not allowed in the elementary schools, and one of the reasons for that is the topic is related to sex,” McGrath continued. “However, the reality of the situation is average age of entry into the sex trade…
I know this is true for many of us, in the face of uncertainty we are looking for information to make sense of it all, to soothe ourselves. But… “This ‘safety behaviour’ is similar to behaviour that’s seen in OCD, notes the psychologist. “Feeling anxious about something and using compulsions as a way of managing…
“Social media is often given a bad rap for trolling, abuse and encouraging people to be superficial. But although these sites have a dark side, some people have found it’s actually helped their mental illness. The anonymity of some networks means people can open up without fearing negative perceptions of mental health will follow them…
We have said often that the best prevention we can offer is to simply keep people connected to those around them. When you’re talking about teens, staying connected to them as parents is vital. When it’s a friend, another family member, an adult, a kid, etc. the best thing we can offer is staying connected with them.
That connection, that knowledge that they are not, in fact, going through this pain alone can make all the difference.
Why not offer it?
Unfortunately, whether therapy is effective for your child, or for yourself as an adult, depends on a number of factors. Finding someone you can trust is an obvious one, and sometimes a real struggle. Elsewhere in the article, Melinda talks about the child not currently being in a traumatic situation, notably one interviewee who was seeing a therapist for depression while also being sexually abused at home. She knew she could talk about that, so the therapy was doomed from the start.
Sometimes I believe we look at mental health treatments like therapy and dismiss them because “it didn’t work” without considering all of the outside factors that can influence whether it works or not.
