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Parent’s Guide to Mental Health Support for Their Child: From Diagnosis to Recovery

Author:
Jemma Strain
Jemma Strain
B.S. Psychology
Editor:
Emma Loker
Emma Loker
B.S.
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According to the American Psychiatric Association, half of all mental health issues develop by the age of 14. This means that a teenager may receive a mental health diagnosis if they are experiencing emotional symptoms that affect their daily life.1

If your child has received a mental health diagnosis, the best thing you can both do is be hopeful. Getting a diagnosis means that you can finally start to understand the root causes of negative feelings, thoughts, and actions – and recover. Mental health conditions are treatable and your teen can and will get better. 

A mental health professional can talk you through how to best support your child in the aftermath of receiving a mental health diagnosis. However, this article can also ease any concerns and give you a clear path for moving forward by discussing:

  • What a mental health diagnosis is
  • How to understand your child’s mental health diagnosis
  • Steps to take when your child is diagnosed with mental illness
  • Mental health treatment for kids and teens
  • How Mission Prep can provide mental health support for children and teens  
Parent’s Guide to Mental Health Support for Their Child

What Is a Mental Health Diagnosis?

There are many different mental health conditions which can affect how a teenager thinks, feels, and acts. Based on their symptoms and how they affect how they function, a doctor or mental health professional may make a specific mental health diagnosis. 1

Some people with mental health challenges may get one diagnosis. However, it’s possible to receive more than one diagnosis. Unfortunately, mental health conditions are often co-morbid, meaning that more than one condition can occur at the same time. In fact, having one condition, such as anxiety, makes it more likely that a teen will develop another, such as depression – especially if the condition goes untreated.2

It’s also possible that a mental health diagnosis will change over time. A teen’s symptoms can shift, professionals may disagree about the cause of problems, or knowledge about mental health conditions can evolve.3

Parents and teens can experience a wide range of emotions in response to receiving a mental health diagnosis. Some may feel shocked, some may be upset, and others might feel relief. However, receiving a mental health diagnosis means that professionals and families can finally understand what’s going on and make steps toward healing and recovery. 

Understanding Your Child’s Mental Health Diagnosis

If your teen has recently received a mental health diagnosis, you may be trying to understand what this means for their life and future. Talking to a mental health professional can help increase your understanding, but the following information can also be useful. 

To receive a diagnosis, your child likely presented with certain behaviors, thoughts, and emotions that indicated a specific mental health condition. A doctor or mental health professional may have asked them questions about…4

  • Their experiences, such as their feelings, behaviors, beliefs, and physical symptoms

  • How long they have been experiencing these issues

  • The ways these issues are affecting their ability to function day-to-day

 

To get a full picture of what your child is going through, a professional may have used screening tools such as self-report forms and based their diagnosis on how your child responded. For example, if your child presents with symptoms characteristic of depression, a professional may use an assessment such as Beck’s Depression Inventory to assess their symptoms. If they deem that depression is present, they can discuss ways to move forward with you and your child. This way, you can both be involved in treatment choices and how they’re delivered, such as part of an outpatient or inpatient treatment program.5

Additionally, a doctor will also perform a physical exam on a teenager to make sure there are no underlying physical conditions that could be leading to their symptoms. This will especially be the case if your child presents with physical symptoms. 

If your child has recently received a mental health diagnosis, you may now be wondering what to do next. While a mental health professional can guide you, there are steps you can take when first coming to terms with a diagnosis. 

Steps to Take When Your Child is Diagnosed With Mental Illness

If you’ve been aware of your child’s mental health challenges for some time, their mental health diagnosis may not have come as a surprise. However, perhaps you weren’t aware of the extent of the problem, or hearing the words out loud came as a shock. Many parents feel unsure of the right steps to take in the aftermath of a diagnosis. While a mental health professional can advise, the following steps can also guide you on what to do.4,6,7

Talk to Your Child About What They Want:

Teenagers have a need for self-rule and independence. Being told the steps that will be taken to help them recover without considering their opinion can make them feel a lack of control. Also, feeling a lack of control could lead a teen to resist treatment. Talking to them about what they want for their recovery can give them a sense of empowerment and lead to better recovery outcomes. 

Learn About the Condition:

Learning about a mental health condition can help you and your child better understand where certain thoughts, emotions, and behaviors come from. Reading up on the condition can also build an awareness of the most suitable treatment options for their issues. Educational pamphlets and reputable online resources, such as the American Psychological Association and the National Institute of Mental Health, can help.

Decide Who You Want to Share The Diagnosis With:

Sometimes, it may be tempting to try to protect your child by not sharing information about their diagnosis. Yet, while you don’t have to shout it from the rooftops, it may be good to share this information with the core people in the teen’s life. Emotional support is a key element in recovery. For instance, you may need to tell their school so that they can take steps to protect their well-being and academic success. However, it’s important to talk to your child before you do this. 

Help Them Create a Script:

While telling the important people in your child’s life can ensure they get the help and support they need, it’s possible they will want to keep their diagnosis from their peers.

There’s still a lot of stigma around mental health and this can be a big barrier to accepting treatment. Your child might want to seem “normal” to their friends, and while there’s nothing wrong with having a diagnosis, it’s still good to protect their self-esteem and relationships.

You could help them to come up with script lines for when people ask them questions about their mental health or why they’re absent from school for treatment. For instance, they could say “I wasn’t feeling that great for a while, but I’m doing OK now. Thanks for asking. How are you?”

Make Lifestyle Changes:

When teenagers find coping with their mental health challenging, they tend to neglect aspects of their self-care. Unfortunately, this can make their symptoms worse. To help promote better well-being, you can play a role in implementing healthy lifestyle choices, such as a balanced diet, sleep routine, and factoring exercise into their daily life. 

Promote Relaxation:

Your child may be feeling highly stressed after experiencing symptoms for a long time and receiving a mental health diagnosis. Factoring ways to relax into their daily routine can help ease their symptoms and promote acceptance. For example, mindfulness techniques are highly effective in helping teens live in the present moment and preventing them from spiraling into anxious thoughts.

Yet, even simple ways to relax, such as watching a favorite movie or listening to a calming playlist can help a teen de-escalate. 

Decide on a Treatment Approach:

There are many different treatment options for various mental health conditions. The best approach for your child will depend on their specific symptoms and the severity of these. For instance, they may need a more intensive approach if they show risky behaviors such as self-harm or talking about taking their own life. A mental health professional can talk you through the most suitable treatment options for your teen, including outpatient and residential programs. Also, finding support groups such as peer support can help a teen feel understood and assist them in learning healthy ways of coping.

Further to these steps to take when your child is diagnosed with mental illness, it’s also important to look after yourself. Eat well, rest, and exercise – you can’t look after your child to the best of your ability if you’re not taking care of your own well-being. It’s also important to factor in having fun with your child. While taking care of mental health is a priority, it shouldn’t be the only focal point in your lives. 

On an additional note, if you don’t agree with a diagnosis, you can discuss why with a doctor or mental health professional. It can feel frustrating not to be listened to, so it’s important to advocate for yourself and your child. Also, you can see a different professional to determine if they have a different opinion. 

Mental Health Treatment for Kids and Teens

Upon receiving a mental health diagnosis, it’s likely that a doctor or mental health professional will talk you and your child through the different treatment options for your child’s condition. Every teenager is unique, and different mental health conditions often require different approaches. Thus, the most suitable treatment approach for your child will depend on their needs and symptoms. The following are some of the most common, clinically proven treatments for different mental health conditions in teens. 

Therapy Options for Teen Mental Health:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

A professional will likely discuss the option of CBT with you and your child. CBT is both popular and effective in the treatment of a range of mental health conditions as it works by targeting teens’ thoughts and actions. Through this, it helps identify negative patterns and helps teens build healthy ways of coping.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

As a parent, you may be aware of how your child’s previous experiences, such as trauma, could be contributing to their mental health difficulties. EMDR is an effective way of treating trauma as it changes how these memories are stored in the brain, helping a teen move past trauma and form more positive beliefs.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

TMS can be effective in treating treatment-resistant mental health conditions. It’s a non-invasive therapy that uses magnetic fields to activate nerve cells in targeted areas of the brain – improving outlook and mood. 

Interpersonal Therapy

While relationships can be protective of mental health, they can also contribute to mental health difficulties. If this is the case for your child, interpersonal therapy can help them work through these issues and figure out better ways of coping to improve their mental health.

Mindfulness-Based Therapy (MBT)

MBT blends cognitive behavioral therapy with compassionate mindfulness techniques to help teens manage difficult emotions. It teaches your child how to counteract negative thought patterns and develop a more positive sense of self.

Another factor of treatment options to consider after receiving a mental health diagnosis is whether an outpatient treatment program or a residential treatment program is best for your child’s symptoms and needs. While it’s important to give your child a voice in their care, if they pose a risk to their own safety, residential treatment can provide 24/7 supportive supervision and intensive therapy. 

Additionally, based on your child’s condition and severity of symptoms, a doctor may talk to you both about the option of medication. Medication can play an important role in treatment, but it’s known to work best alongside therapy. 

Parent’s Guide to Mental Health Support for Their Child: From Diagnosis to Recovery

How Mission Prep Can Provide Mental Health Support for Children

If your child has recently received a mental health diagnosis, you both may be going through a range of emotions. Shock, distress, anger, denial, relief, hope – all of these emotions are normal. You may be coming to terms with the fact that your child needs mental health support. However, there is professional support and guidance available to you to help you understand how to move forward in a way that promotes recovery.

Mission Prep can help you better understand and provide mental health support for your child’s needs. Our team of licensed, empathetic professionals recognizes the emotions that children and their families often experience in the aftermath of getting a mental health diagnosis. We aim to help you cope and decide on the best treatment options for your child’s needs. 

Including your child’s voice in their own care, we discuss the options of outpatient and residential treatment for different teen mental health conditions. We also offer treatment in various locations, tailoring each program to a teen’s unique needs. Our team is available 24/7 to answer any concerns – even if you decide that our programs aren’t suitable for your child’s needs. Contact us to learn more.

References

  1. American Psychiatric Association. (n.d.). What is mental illness? https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/what-is-mental-illness
  2. Bearman, S. K., & Weisz, J. R. (2015). Review: Comprehensive treatments for youth comorbidity – evidence-guided approaches to a complicated problem. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 20(3), 131. https://doi.org/10.1111/camh.12092
  3. Seery, C., & Young, C. (2022). How Does It Feel to Have One’s Psychiatric Diagnosis Altered? Exploring Lived Experiences of Diagnostic Shifts in Adult Mental Healthcare. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 820162. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.820162
  4. Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Mental illness: Diagnosis and treatment. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved March 13, 2025, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mental-illness/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20374974
  5. Lumen Learning. (n.d.). The diagnostic process. In Abnormal psychology. Retrieved from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-abnormalpsych/chapter/the-diagnostic-process/
  6. Van Dijk, A., Brummelman, E., & De Castro, B. O. (2023). “I’m not here to push you:” raising adolescents’ treatment engagement via autonomy support. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 164, 104304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2023.104304
  7. Mental Health America. (n.d.). After a diagnosis. Mental Health America. Retrieved March 13, 2025, from https://mhanational.org/resources/after-a-diagnosis/

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