I Was So Focused on One Child, I Missed the Signs of Mental Illness in the Other
Some kids shout their needs from the rooftop, others fly under the radar; all of them need our support
The day of my first therapy appointment was the day I said for the first time, “I think my daughter probably has OCD.”
It was a footnote to a larger conversation. Who lives in the house with me? How are our relationships? What are the important dynamics to know about before entering into a therapeutic relationship?
I’d spent the last five minutes telling Ellie about my oldest daughter — her medical condition, her learning disability, her anxiety and depression. The younger one didn’t have any of those issues. She was healthy, advanced in her studies, and didn’t show the signs of instability her sister did.
Most of my finite reserve of attention and energy was focused on stabilizing the big girl so she could participate in school, social and family activities. Little didn’t need that much attention. She was always so chill. She was fine.
I told myself that, even as it became ever clearer that wasn’t the case. Having one child with mental health issues was hard enough — having two might break me.
