ORIGINAL PUBLICATION DATE: October 2023
There are few moments in a parent’s journey as difficult and confusing as witnessing an adult child struggle. Not only do parents want to ease their child’s suffering, but it’s often difficult for parents to see if a child is going through normal development and growth, or if there is a more serious problem presenting. Here are six signs your adult child may be struggling and could benefit from additional help.
1. Difficulties Becoming Independent
If your adult child has shown difficulties gaining independence and is still heavily reliant on you for providing what they need, additional help could be beneficial. An adult child’s codependence on parents can be tiring and may be enabling the child to continue a pattern of reliance.
There may be many reasons for a child not progressing toward typical independence, such as low self-confidence, anxiety, or depression. It’s important that the root cause is identified and addressed.
2. Not Moving from Home
An adjunct to a lack of independence, an adult child not moving from home may simply boil down to a fear of the future.
Leaving home for the “real world” is daunting for some young adults, and that fear can sometimes paralyze them. If you’re worried about your child’s stagnation and what the next steps should be, consider how to communicate with your child about the situation and how to provide support in the development of a plan.
3. Social Avoidance
You may notice that your adult child spends a lot of time alone, lacking motivation to socialize or leave the house.
Is your child avoiding meeting with friends? Do they have friends? These questions can be worrying for parents, but they may be helpful for knowing how to support your child. If your adult child is experiencing symptoms of depression or other serious mental health issues, you could be of support by helping him or her address these issues and get professional help.
4. Mood and Personality Changes
Have you noticed any indication that your child’s mood is chronically low? Perhaps your child is irritable or doesn’t want to talk to you as often as in the past.
The problem could be that your child feels like they’re not being listened to, or it could indicate other issues, including substance misuse. Keep an eye on these changes and talk to someone about them (or your child directly) if they continue to concern you. Mood and personality changes are often indicative of deeper-rooted issues.
5. Unhealthy Relationships
Unhealthy relationships may lead to codependency or be abusive in nature. Abusive relationships can be emotional, physical, and/or sexual. If you suspect your child is in an unhealthy relationship, you could be of help by talking to him or her about it and reminding your child of your support. In some cases, contacting the authorities may be the best help.
6. Poor Self-Care
A sign that adult children could use additional help is if they aren’t taking care of themselves as they normally would. This could mean not showering, not brushing his or her hair, not eating properly, or not practicing healthy sleeping habits. Poor self-care may lead to feelings of numbness or a lack of interest in living well.
Signs of poor self-care can be extremely worrying for parents, but again, there are often underlying issues that cause these signs. Mental health conditions can lead to this type of behavior from people of all ages.
Benefiting from Professional Support
If you recognize that your adult child is demonstrating one or a combination of these signs, there may be a link to a mental health issue and/or a substance addiction. These behavioral health conditions are treatable, and professional support is available.
Alvarado Parkway Institute (API) offers evidence-based treatment programs for a variety of mental health problems and substance addictions. Our team also provides support to individuals dealing with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
Mental Health
We provide treatment for anxiety, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, depression, dissociative disorders, psychosis, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), and schizophrenia. Mental health care is available through partial hospital program (PHP) and intensive outpatient program (IOP) services.
Substance Addiction Disorders
For those dealing with substance addiction, the API team provides detoxification services, multiple therapy offerings, and aftercare support. We treat alcohol addiction, opioid use disorder, and prescription drug addiction. Treatment is also offered for addiction to cannabis, crack/cocaine, inhalants, and synthetics.
Co-Occurring Conditions
API also offers evidence-based care for those dealing with a co-occurring condition, also known as a dual diagnosis. Our treatment for co-occurring conditions includes individual and group therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and care based on dialectic behavior therapy practices.
Help from Alvarado Parkway Institute
In providing behavioral healthcare, we offer both inpatient and outpatient programs. Inpatient care is our highest intensity treatment and is provided at our psychiatric hospital. Our outpatient services include a partial hospitalization program (PHP) and an intensive outpatient program (IOP).
Our services include detoxification, group therapy, individual psychotherapy, family therapy, and aftercare support.
Support for Parents
In addition to providing behavioral healthcare, we offer our weekly Family and Friends Matter support group sessions. These virtual meetings are open to the family and friends of individuals with mental illness or substance use addiction, regardless of whether those individuals are current or former API clients.
The Family and Friends Matter sessions are available to offer support and as an avenue to ask questions and get answers about how to help an individual dealing with behavioral health issues. The meetings are led by our psychology and addictive disorders counselors and are held via Zoom on Tuesdays at 5 p.m.
Contact Us for Mental Health and Addiction Care
If you are concerned that your child may need additional help due to a mental health disorder, a substance addiction, or a dual diagnosis, please contact API. We offer evidence-based care to help individuals live healthier lives. Support for parents of adult children dealing with behavioral health concerns is also available.Contact us on our website for more information, or call our 24-hour inquiry and support line at 619-333-7050.
