We don’t need you to second guess our decisions about our sons care.
We know his conditions better than just about anyone, including his medical team.
Until you have lived in our home with him, experienced his violent temper, and manic behaviors, you can’t tell us that we are wrong to embark on the path that we are traveling.
Do I wish things were different?
Hell yes!
No amount of wishing will make it so.
We don’t need you to second guess our decision. We can do that on our own.
Want to know what you can do to help? Talk to people in the mental health community. Offer to help them with a meal. Offer to run errands for them, or spend time visiting so that they can feel like humanity hasn’t disappeared. Offer to take their kids that don’t have mental illnesses or special needs out for a couple of hours, so that the child can get out of the house for a bit. All too often the families end up feeling neglected by the situation.
Talk to people who can help facilitate change in methods/treatments and authority, so that another family isn’t faced with the prospect or reality of moving their underage child 500 miles from home for treatment that the child should be able to get in his/her home state.
Better yet, ask the family what you can do to help out. Don’t be surprised if they respond with a simple “nothing.”
Related articles
- A letter to my son. David. (whynotfathers.com)
- Inability to get help for mentally ill son ends in tragedy (jsonline.com)
