Pediatric Mental Health Stigma's

In the past 3 years I have dealt a lot personally with pediatric mental health issues and the stigma that follows. In June 2009 there was a major blow up between an Autism Activist Group and a school in the Prescott, Arizona area over the use of an isolation room for their R&R program. A special classroom with a limited amount of children (7) living with emotional disturbances. The idea to some people using a small room with pads to help a child calm down during a rage seems troubling. But to a parent who has a child who freguently endangers himself and those directly in his path, its somewhat of a comfort.
I recently and in the past year have had a lot of people scream abuse to me about the use of these rooms. While I understand to some people, this idea seems in human. But it is a tool I would rather have used then for my child to physically be restrained. I also agree that its not for every family and its certainly not a tool we should use on children who live with more severe forms of Autism and physical disabilites. Here is the difference... my child suffers with Manic Bipolar and OCD, which means he has rapidly changing moods. One minute he will tell you he loves the world and with in a split second can trash an entire classroom. Which I might add has happened on more than one occasion.
So do I leave my 10 year 105 lb, 5'2 son in a classroom with children who are "normal" and put them at risk as well as a teacher who may not know how to handle a onset of a manic rage? Completely deny him the right to a free and fair public education? Or do I place my child in the hands of people who have been trained by professional's in behavioral modification and are given certain tools like isolation to protect themselves and others?
Then comes the question of "positive reinforcement", people accusing parents like me of not loving our children enough. That this is abuse and we should have our children taken from us. We shouldn't let this happen, you are a monster. Am I? Really? What I know is that my son is seriously mentally ill, at least thats the label he carries in the eyes of professional doctors. I also know that I have my son one minute and the next someone I don't even know. Is he a threat? Yeah sometimes, but he also has a great team of professionals and a family that loves him very much. We are working as a team to bring this child up to become a high functioning, contributing adult. Giving him tools and teaching him how to cope with his disorders. That doesn't always include isolation but sometimes its necessary.
Some people just don't even want to believe that a child as young as 3 could possibly be mentally ill. That's pretty much like saying that a child at 3 couldn't possible get cancer or anothe chronic illness. Why not mental illness... disorders of any kind do not discriminate because of your age, color, creed or how much money you make. Do you honestly believe that people in their adult age never struggled with mental illness as a child? Could it be just maybe no body really noticed or maybe thought a parent wasn't teaching them how to restrain their bad behavior. It surely couldn't be that a parent doesn't know how to stop certain behaviors or for that fact a child doesn't realize how they are acting.
I probably would have never even know my son had a disorder had he not attempted to take his life at 7. What on earth would make a child want to end his life... of course he must be just seeking attention because the parent's don't pay attention to him enough (yeah, like I haven't heard that one before). Except it hasn't happened once its happened several times. And as we grow and puberty sets in we are getting new symptoms. Like hearing things no one else can, seeing things no one else can and going into a state of phyicosis. All things I have had to face with my child. Medication marathon's and two hospital visits and 2 schools.
This isn't a game, its real. Its happens everyday and we need to stand up, pay attention to our kids and we need to keep the tools that help them. We need to stop assuming what we don't know.
Had the autism group legally taken pictures and spoke with anyone at this school they would have know what it was used for. They would have known that this wasn't a tool used all the mainstream students or children who's parents had no knowledge of it.
So now the question of the secert isolation room.. It wasn't a secert but its certainly a senistive subject for must people, an even bigger sensitive subject to people who only want to point out faults and wrong doings. There where video camera's set up in isolation, a parents consist was necessary and no child was ever left unattended. And I might add that everytime my child was put in the room I was notified and showed up when called to see if I could help calm him.

Please help support Families who are living with Mental Health Issues and help elimante the Stigma that so often follows.

We have an email for question, topics or opinions: pedmentalhealthmatters@hotmail.com or you can join our Facebook organization called Pediatric Mental Health Mattes or join Hopeful Journey.