Im a young person and one of my parents has a mental illness. What can I do?
Someone elses illness is not your fault. You also cant control how someone else feels, their illness, or the things they do or say. What you can do is take care of yourself. Learning more about your parents illness can make it a bit easier to understand what they experience. On this website, you can find easy-to-read booklets on mental illnesses as well as longer info sheets on many different mental illnesses. You can also find information for young people from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Its important to take care of yourself, too! A lot of people have a big mix of feelings when a parent isnt well. You might feel angry, embarrassed, scared, or many other things. These feelings and experiences can have a big impact on the way your think about yourself and other people. When youre on an airplane and the flight attendants go through the safety demonstration, they tell you to put your own oxygen mask on before your help other people. Thats because its hard to help someone else if you arent well yourself. Here are some programs specifically for young people: Kids in Control Support Group Program from the BC Schizophrenia Society helps children and youth ages 8-18 understand mental illnesses, cope with challenges, and take care of their own health and well-being. If Kids in Control is not currently available at your local branch, your branch can order materials so you can work through them on your own. Super Saturday Club from CMHA Vancouver-Fraser is a free recreation group for children and youth ages 8-17 who have a parent that experiences a mental illness. To learn more, visit www.vancouver-fraser.cmha.bc.ca. If youre having trouble coping with something going on at home, ask for some help! Here are some places you can go: A teacher or counsellor at school An adult you trust, like a friends parent or another family member Kids Help Phone: visit www.kidshelpphone.ca to learn about taking care of yourself and chat with a counsellor, or call 1-800-668-6868 to talk with a counsellor YouthinBC: Visit www.youthinbc.com to chat with a trained volunteer (noon-1.00am Pacific Time) BC Mental Health Support Line: If you ever need to talk to someone or youd like to see what kind of resources are in your community, call 310-6789 (no area code) at any time