I have written this blog for years now. I used to write a lot more frequently, but lately I have slowed the pace and have also started to feel like I do not have as much to say about mental health as I used to. Not that there still isn’t a lot more to say, but I am feeling limited in my feelings and research. I do not think this is either good or bad, but that is what I am experiencing.
With all of the changes that have happened to me and my family this year, I am starting to feel pulled in a different direction. We are in the process of completing a home study for adopting from foster care, and lately the topics of foster care, adoption, and children in general are all I can think about. With my background in health care, I have also been thinking a lot about children and medication. I am pretty ignorant on this subject, but I find myself very worried why we seem to put kids on a lot of medications, especially for behavioral or mental health issues. Is that really the best answer? Do we not have the resources to dig deeper and try to treat conditions in different ways? I understand that I come at this with a lot of judgment, so that is why I want to learn more and try to get a better idea of what is happening.
So, while I might be steering away from mental health, I may not go too far out. I am deeply concerned about mental health in our children, particularly those in more vulnerable situations, even though by definition all children are vulnerable. I don’t like how we seem to run to drugging our children so quickly, but again, I could be totally wrong here. This might be easy for me to say because I have not had to experience it. If you have any information or thoughts on this topic please feel free to comment and share your feedback.