Accepting Mental Illness in your Child

According to a survey that was conducted in 2011, almost 13% of the natal population is born with mental disabilities; out of the 18% who could have afforded the required treatments and facilities, only 3% were blessed enough to have it. This is horrible statistics for a country like India that claims to be tolerant towards all casts, colors and creeds of individuals. Thus we should be more aware towards accepting and caring for such children, as the love and care can make them functional enough to exist.

Discovering a mental illness in your child is not easy; initially the symptoms are often dismissed as delayed postnatal developments. Some of the disabilities can be detected in the 10^th week of pregnancy, while others become evident as late as 2 years of age. The best thing that a parent can do is to seek medical advice for the minutest of delays exhibited in development. As soon as the medical condition is diagnosed, instead of going into denial or seeking multiple advices from different physicians is not a solution, instead the parents should take some time to discuss it within themselves and later consult the doctor about the severity and extent of the disease. The parent should extract maximum knowledge about their child’s disorder and should continuously be in touch with medical consultants as to how and what extent of improvement is possible. 

Secondly, they should see counselors themselves, to better accept the fact and stay mentally strong throughout the supporting phases. It has been noticed that one of the parent adopts better than the other to the fact that their child is mentally disabled. In that case the couple should be supportive to each other and the child. This is where a psychiatrist or a counselor can really help.

As soon as you realize the fact and make peace with it, consult your doctor and look for an apt special education school. There are some schools for mentally retarded children who provide financial aids as well. Get in touch with NGO’s and social workers who can get help.  The role of enrolment in initial years is crucial in determining how far your child can manage, so you should pace up the process as much as possible and get him enrolled in a special education school. These schools for mentally retarded children help them be self-dependent and can teach them vocational activities.

Thus instead of being hopeless about your child’s condition you should accept it and stand with your child through thick and thin.