Is Your Adult Child Suffering from a Mental Health Crisis?

Every parent wants what’s best for their child; that’s why you’re always there for your kid through good times and bad times. You’re there even when your child is all grown up. Being aware that your adult child has mental health problems makes you feel helpless and confused. You don’t know where to turn to, and although you’d like to help your son or daughter, you don’t know how. If you’re in this particular situation right now, this article can help you out.

Signs of mental health problems
One of the major contributors to mental health crisis in adult children is the fact that most conditions usually go unnoticed for many years. When the problem is left untreated, it only aggravates and becomes more severe. For example, the journal Practitioner published results of the study which investigated depression in mid- and late adolescence. It poses as one of the most frequent mental health problems in both younger and adult children.

The study made interesting discoveries. For example, half of those with lifelong recurrent depression started developing their symptoms before they were 15 years old. Unfortunately, these signs were left undetected, and individuals did not get to manage depression at that time. The same can be applied for other mental health problems; a vast majority of affected adult children develop the symptoms much earlier, but the mental health crisis wasn’t identified.

Why does this happen? According to the research, depression never occurs by itself. Instead, the troubled teenager also experiences a broad range of physical symptoms such as eating disorders, social refusal, substance abuse, and so on. Mood swings and social withdrawal along with bad grades in school are, to most teachers and parents, a standard part of adolescence, which could explain why such problems aren’t identified earlier.

Mental health crisis doesn’t come without any symptoms; it’s important to know that. Some symptoms can include:

• Feelings of persistent sadness
• Social withdrawal
• Experiencing overwhelming fear for no apparent reason
• Mood swings and irritability
• Involving in fights with friends, boyfriends/girlfriends
• In some cases, desire to hurt others, owning a weapon
• Increased alcohol intake, misuse of medications, even drug use
• Out-of-control behavior
• Not eating/Eating too much
• Drastic changes in personality
• Difficulty concentrating
• Irresponsible at job/school

How does adult child’s mental health problem affect parents?

Adult child’s mental health crisis has a strong impact on his/her parents as well. Scientists at the University of Michigan investigated the effect of adult child’s problems on parents. For the purpose of the research, they included 197 middle-aged parents who reported their interactions which adult children for a week. They published their findings in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology. Here’s what they discovered:

• Parents usually have negative encounters with the kids experiencing problems
• Interactions with adult children who had physical or emotional problems displayed more immediate, same-day associations with cortisol levels
• Interactions with the kids who had lifestyle or behavioral problems had delayed effect on cortisol levels

These results indicate that adult child’s behavioral, emotional, and other problems that occur as a consequence of mental health crisis increase stress levels in parents. It’s important to bear in mind that stress is a major contributor to various diseases.

Furthermore, the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease published results of the study which evaluated the impact of adult child’s bipolar disorder on parents. The study showed that parents of adult children with bipolar disorder are at an increased risk for poorer physical and mental health as well as marital disruption. Parenting an adult child with a mental health the problem is, also, strongly linked to lower levels of work satisfaction among older age adults in the workforce.

There’s a growing body of evidence confirming that adult child’s mental health problems have a significant effect on their parents. In fact, your stress levels increase, and your overall health isn’t at the optimal level.

Read More: 6 Common Health Problems That Can Interfere With Your Daily Life

Is there anything parents can do?

One of the main reasons why parents in this situations stress out is because they don’t know how to help their child. But, there are many things you can do. For example:

Don’t judge – to help your child the best way you can, start off by listening what he/she has to say without judging or contradicting their statements. Don’t try to change them or convince them to, just, change their behavior because mental health problems don’t work that way. You don’t have to agree with things they say, but listening will show them you’re there and willing to accept they have a problem.

Be on the same team – instead of telling your son/daughter you’re on the same team, show them. Do something nice without any agenda or include them in the decision-making process. Basically, your child should feel comfortable. Why? It’s because adult children tend to close off from everyone when experiencing mental health problem. When they feel comfortable, it will be easier for you to get through and help

Encourage – your resources and help you can give are limited. You should be aware that a professional is the best person to help your child and encourage your son or daughter to agree to at least one meeting and take it from there

Ask -  it’s easy to think of different ways to help your child when they’re younger, but when they’re adults, it becomes tough. Your child shouldn’t feel like he/she has no control over the situation. That’s why you should ask if there’s anything you can do to help them feel safe, consult them over seeking professional help, and other things you’d think would be beneficial

Set boundaries – it’s a practical and, sometimes, mandatory approach. Although you want to help, you should never jeopardize your health and safety in the meantime. For example, in cases when your adult child has episodes of verbal or physical abuse. Set boundaries for yourself and your child

Medications aren’t always the answer – sometimes your adult child is experiencing a milder form of mental health crisis, e.g. when dealing with stressful situations, or when under pressure. Let a professional decide whether your son or daughter need medications

Remember that

• You have to be patient; things won’t improve overnight
• If your child doesn’t live with you, stay in contact regularly
• Don’t hover over your child
• Encourage and motivate
• You shouldn’t make your son/daughter feel bad for their mental health crisis

Conclusion
Having a child with mental health problems, or even a crisis, can be difficult to take. Parents are reluctant to accept the fact that their child is experiencing difficulties that they can’t completely control. There’s a growing body of evidence suggesting in these situations mental and physical health of parents is also at risk. Do your best to listen to your child without judging, encourage to seek professional help, and accept the fact that you can’t and shouldn’t do it on your own. Luckily, mental health difficulties can be put under control.

References
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27254891
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/crazy-life/201509/how-help-your-adult-child-if-they-have-mental-illness