Warning: This post deals with mental health and may be triggering for some readers.
Suzanne Alderson knows exactly what it’s like to parent a child struggling with their mental health.
In 2015, Suzanne’s world was turned upside down when her teenage daughter came to her and said she was suicidal, labelling it "the darkest time in my life".
Her daughter was being chronically bullied at school, but to Suzanne, she presumed it was a teenage phase that they could ride out together.
But that unfortunately wasn’t the case.
Watch: Parents of Teenagers Translated. Post continues below.
“When she was 14 she was badly bullied at school, and it had an increasingly poor impact on her mental health, and she declined to the point where she couldn't leave the house,” Suzanne said to the BBC podcast Woman’s Hour.
“She couldn’t sleep, she wasn’t eating, so I took her to see our GP. She asked if she could go into the appointment on her own, and it was at that point that she disclosed to him that she had a plan to end her life imminently.”
Suzanne’s daughter then went on to attempt suicide.
Sadly, she’s not the only young person dealing with mental health issues.
As reported on The Quicky, the number of children seeking medical intervention for mental health issues has increased dramatically since the start of the pandemic.
Suicide is also the leading cause of death among Australians aged 15 to 24.
What this ultimately means is there are more parents than ever helping their children through a challenging time, while also juggling full-time work expectations.
In the BBC interview, Suzanne said it was initially a situation they presumed as parents they could handle, believing it to be “a teenage phase”.
“We didn’t know what to do as parents, we didn’t know how to support her. And I have to say we probably ignored this for 12 months. I guess we just thought we could get through it or if it were something to do with just being a teenager.”
“We found that we were just consumed by it. We had the person that we love the most in the world, our child, and we just simply didn’t know what to do.”
Since her experience, Suzanne is now dedicated to helping parents in a similar situation, founding the charity Parenting Mental Health.
“I couldn’t really find any support. The judgement and stigma around having a child with a mental health issue is enormous. So I decided that if we made it through, I would make it my mission to make sure that no other parent felt like I did.”
“We all bring challenges, whether we’ve got children or not, to our role as an employee. We deserve support because we are a compassionate society, I would hope.”
If you, or a young person you know, Iis struggling with symptoms of mental illness please contact your local headspace centre here or chat to them online here. If you are over the age of 25 and suffering from symptoms of mental illness please contact your local GP for a Mental Health Assessment Plan or call Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14.
Feature Image: Facebook.
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