WON’T HAVING A DIAGNOSIS HURT MY CHILD?

This is probably the most common fear that parents have with regards to getting their child assessed. Debating the answer to this question can lead to years of missed opportunities for much needed services. 

I’m going to be real with you, not seeking out help when you know your child needs it is doing a disservice to your child and yourself. The more open you can be about recognizing that everyone needs help, the less stigmatizing asking for help is.

Think about it this way. Say your child breaks their arm. Would you ignore it? Would you spend countless hours trying to find the “perfect” doctor by scouring google only to close your computer, sigh, and get up to make dinner? Meanwhile, your child is screaming because they are still in pain. No, you wouldn’t do this. No good parent would.

So how can we justify treating mental illness this way? You child is screaming for help. You feel it in every argument you have with them. Every time you yell at them for not turning in their homework for the 3rd time this week. Every time you shout after asking them to clean their room an hour ago, only to find they got distracted and are playing. Every time you attempt calming sitting down to help them with their math problems while listening to them mumble, “I’m stupid,” under their breath each time they get it wrong.

Your child’s quality of life is being sucked down into a black hole every day that they are not getting their needs met. And guess what the outcome to that is... more mental health issues.

Mental health affects every aspect of our being. In fact, one of the criteria for every mental health illness is that it impairs functioning in one or more areas of life.

I know... it’s scary. Mental health has been stigmatized from the beginning of time, but asking for help does not make you “crazy.”

I want you to make this your mantra:

“Nobody is perfect and everyone needs help with something.”

A diagnosis is just a word used to categorize what your child is experiencing so that they can be eligible for services to stop the suffering.

Stop procrastinating. Your child already knows that they are different. They are already hurting. Help lead them to what they need.

At Calm Down Kids, we focus on assessment instead of therapy, because understanding all symptoms and how they are interacting to affect your child’s experience of life can lead to more focused treatment plans, a clearer understanding of their abilities, and less time in treatment.

For more information about our services and how we can help you feel free to contact us at anytime.

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