At Alamo City Moms Blog, we realize that we have a voice in our local community and with that voice comes an responsibility. We firmly believe we have a duty to bring an education to the parents of our community on issues that affect local families. We also want to bring an awareness to the resources available to help families facing these issues.
At our Moms Night Out/Mommy Foodie Fair in May, we asked attendees to bring items to support Clarity Child Guidance Center, a non-profit treatment center specializing in children ages 3-17 in San Antonio and South Texas. I became familiar with Clarity Child Guidance Center through my work as a member of the Junior League of San Antonio and immediately knew I wanted to be able to do more to help this worthy non-profit. When I heard the staggering numbers that 1 in 5 children in the United States suffer from a mental illness, and that only 20% of these receive treatment, I knew we must have parents in our own community feeling helpless, lost and not knowing where to turn. We felt that tug of responsibility and knew we needed to help spread awareness about children’s mental health and how Clarity can help.
This week, we will be partnering with Clarity Child Guidance Center and sharing the stories of three San Antonio families. We hope that in sharing their stories, someone in our community will not only hear a common voice and know there is hope and help available, right here in San Antonio, but that they will also know they are not alone. Today, we share a little more about 1 in 5 Minds, an organization and advocate for children’s mental health, sponsored by Clarity Child Guidance Center.
We talk to many Moms and Dads throughout the year, and it’s often at the lowest point in a family’s history. That’s because Clarity Child Guidance Center is the region’s only nonprofit that offers a continuum of mental health services, including treatment for children with serious mental illness ages 3-17. This hidden epidemic, where 1 in 5 children will need help, is one of the last “accepted” stigmas in our world. We routinely blame parents and even the child themselves for their illness. Families are literally suffering in silence, for fear of judgment placed on them, their child, and worry for their child’s future if they share openly.
What we hear repeatedly from parents are some of the following sentiments:
- I had this feeling that something was amiss, but couldn’t figure out if what I was experiencing with my child was normal or not.
- I thought I was alone in this journey.
- I was afraid to share with others for fear they would think I was a bad parent.
- Will my child’s future be limited if I seek treatment and others find out?
- I wish I had gotten help sooner for my child.
A 60 Minutes story that aired in early 2014 discussed the stigma of mental illness with a group of moms. One mom shared that when her daughter broke her arm, friends and family came out in force, baking more casseroles than her family could possibly use. They felt embraced, loved and cared for, but when their daughter spent two months in a psychiatric hospital, no one even said a word to them. When the moms were asked about how they knew stigma was alive and well, this Mom said “where are the casseroles?”
So, what can you do to eliminate the stigma? First, read about people first language. It’s not that “bipolar kid”, it’s Jenny, who is a cheerleader, who happens to have bipolar disorder. It’s about placing the child FIRST in the language that we use. The Hogg Foundation has a great guide that is quick and easy to reference here.
Then, visit www.1in5minds.org, the campaign we created to bring greater awareness to the 1 in 5 children in need of treatment, eliminating the stigma and creating the opportunity for care. And treatment is successful! Nine out of ten parents tell us that their child improved as a result of treatment, with the majority indicating that the improvement was “significant”. Hope and healing of young minds and hearts is possible, but we need to start the conversation about mental illness. Right now. At your kitchen table, at your next church social, at the soccer field, and everywhere families live, work and play. So, the next time you search online for a great casserole recipe, remember the families suffering in silence. Start the conversation about our community’s children and the future that is possible for every child.
Oh, this hits home so well! My poor mother had no idea what to do with me, ha! It was a mad house, but through it all we kept our sense of humor. I have Bipolar Disorder, and it was a very interesting journey to say the least. Although…I’ll be the first to say some of my rapid cycling manic moments led me to some of the best adventures I have ever been on! If you ever need any volunteers, I would be very interested.
Thank you for posting this. I think it is so important to start talking about this.