Helping Young Adults Who Refuse Treatment
A common problem among parents is helping the young adult who doesn't know he or she is ill or who refuses to recognize the illness. There are several tactics a family can take in trying to get help for the person:
Contact a local support group for families of people with mental illness to talk with others who have had similar experiences and hear their ideas.
- Keep a detailed journal or diary of the person's strange behavior and thoughts. This may be a valuable tool later when trying to get financial assistance for the person
- Find a good psychiatrist. You can do this by finding other families who can recommend a psychiatrist who has successfully treated their own family member. You can also contact one of the national organizations, such as the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) or the American Psychiatric Association (202-682-6000; www.psych.org ) for a referral
- Contact the psychiatrist before she or he sees your family member. Provide the psychiatrist with information from the journal you've kept and ask about the preferred treatment approaches, including medications
- Contact appropriate officials if the person with mental illness has threatened to hurt others or themselves or has a tendency toward violent behavior
- Make your home as safe as possible. Remove any guns, large knives, ropes, and poisonous/toxic materials that the young adult could use to harm himself/herself
- Get involved. After getting your son or daughter into treatment, consider working with an advocacy group to improve the laws in your state concerning treatment and benefits for people with mental illnesses
