Sharing a letter

[Guest guest]

that a North Carolina youth won from the NMHA (national mental health

assoc). I just think it's a really good write-up. Have to say, he

seems much more mature than MY sons, typical and OCD ones. His mom

must be very proud. Anyway, this is " his " story and he's managed to

turn his life around.

*****************************************

Winner of Mpower Youth Award from the National Mental Health

Association

I was 11 years old when I realized that I had mental illness. I had

always known that I was hyperactive and I had a really hard time

staying focused on what I had to do.

I began going down hill when my dad died of cancer in February of

2002, I was in the 6th grade. I was so angry, I was angry with

everyone and everything. School was awful for me, I was failing, I

had no friends, the teachers did not understand me, and I felt lost.

In October 2002, while I was in the 7th grade, I hit rock bottom. I

began to feel like hurting myself or hurting someone else. My mom

made the decision to put me in the hospital. That was one of the best

decisions she has ever made for me. It helped me to realize I had

challenges and started me on the road to understanding how to help

myself.

Another decision that she made for me was after I got out of the

hospital, instead of going back to my regular middle school, I went

to Day Treatment. There I felt better about myself, the class size

was much smaller, only 8 in a class. I was able to get therapy when I

needed it. I learned a lot of team building skills, anger management

and that it was ok to have mental illness.

During this time, I joined a statewide youth group for youth with

mental health concerns Powerful Youth Friends United. Finally I felt

ACCEPTED! I began to learn skills on how to assist, support and

advocate for other youth with mental health concerns.

With the help of my mom, my sister, my sister's boyfriend , Mr.

Quick (the Director of Day Treatment), my CBS worker and the people

on my Child and Family Team, I began to truly understand what I had

to do to get my life back on track.

This year I made a successful transition back to my middle school. It

was a challenge at first, but now I am very comfortable back at my

school. My teachers have been great, the principal is my friend (that

is something you do not hear of everyday) and I am making A's and B's

in my classes.

I became co-facilitator of a youth group in my community for youth

with mental illness. I have been involved at the state level

advocating for the rights of youth with mental health disorders. I am

now a leadership member of my statewide youth group. I have met with

the Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human

Services as well as the Director of the North Carolina Division of

Health and Human Services. I have also spoken with my local

representatives and county commissioners about reducing the stigma

against youth with mental health concerns.

I have been called a " bad kid " so many times in my life. I want

everyone to know that there are no " bad kids " in this world. Everyone

in this world has some kind of challenge that they have to face. Some

people wear glasses to help them see, some are afraid of the dark and

some people have difficulty reading; that does not make them " bad "

does it?

To all the youth out there with mental health concerns, NEVER GIVE

UP, no matter how hard it gets! Keep on pushing and push some more.

Being nominated and winning the Mpower Youth Award from the National

Mental Health Association is so great to me, it is hard to describe

what it means to me. I am so thankful to Bonnie Koelle, from the

Cleveland County Mental Health Association for nominating me. I want

to share this award with my mom because without her I would not be

where I am at today.

Adam Oates

Cleveland County, North Carolina

http://www.nmha.org/

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Your daughter's issue made me stop & wonder about her amazing deep insight

she has. I think she is tallented and not having as you thought

zchizophrenia. To be to write song at the age of 11 & can express certain

feelings & has the taste of what you mentioned of brooke's feelings is

somethjng amazing that should stop & wonder that it may have some certain

explanations. There are some people who go through certain medication &

became enlightened about so many issues in their lives my explain this issue

that your daughter have. You might do yourself some search on the internet

asking about this issue & you might get some answers to it.

Huda

>From: Kidztalent@...

>Reply-To:

>To:

>Subject: Re: Sharing a letter

>Date: Fri, 21 May 2004 12:11:29 EDT

>

>Wow....mature is an understatement. What an amazing insight to what this

>poor

>kid has been going through in his mind. My daughter, , who is 13 now

>and still struggling somewhat, although not nearly as bad as she was 6

>months

>ago....she had begun writing songs at the age of 11 and saying that it is

>what

>our dog was saying....I was worried that she may be schizophrenic cause she

>was always communicating with us by saying this is what Baxter is

>saying.....

>but one day when I really listened to the words in her song, it hit

>me....that

>these songs sounded like what she may be thinking. So I took a few of the

>songs

>to her psychologist and she " OMG, yes! These are actually 's

>feelings

>and she's using the excuse that it's Baxter singing all this as a cover

>up! "

>The songs were so sad and full of feelings.....I should find them and put

>them

>on here. They're really brilliant....but so sad that I didn't pick up on it

>sooner.

>/CA

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thank you Huda.

Actually she started writing these songs BEFORE she was ever on any

medication. It was when I first started suspecting that something may be going

on with

her...but hadn't involved any Dr's yet...so there was not even any diagnosis

off ADD or OCD yet. Some of the words in her songs were something like " If only

you could spend a day walking in my shoes..... " " If only I could tell you

about what I thought.... " " If only people could understand what I'm going

through.... " " I just wish I could be like everyone else.... " " The stresses I

have..... " " The worries I have about what others think of me.... " " The sadness

inside

that I hide.... " " No one understands but me..... " ....etc...etc...

I'll try to find the songs she wrote....they were pretty amazing. She's

always been gifted intellectually as well as talented. Her IQ is 149. I just

wish

her grades would reflect her intelligence. I personally don't get too upset

with the grades because I know she is so darn smart...and just needs to be

taught in a different way than traditional school.....but of course the school

has

to go by the grades. I know she could test out of the 12th grade (and she's

only in 7th)...even her school psychologist has said this...but she needs school

because she is not " 12th grade mature " . The worst part of the poor school

grades is that she has lost her work permit to act. She has been in acting

since the age of 4...and it is still her passion...but without C's or better,

the

state won't grant a work permit which sucks. It is her extra curricular

activity, although she is actually a professional (and well paid) SAG

actress...(Screen Actor's Guild)...and it looks like this will be her career

after high

school and/or college. Kids that do sports for their extra curricular activity

don't have the state taking away any permit if they get bad grades....it just

doe

sn't make sense! I mean, with acting, she even gets a personal tutor on the

sets when she's filming. So she is trying SO, SO hard to get C's or better so

that she can get her work permit back. I really hope she does this time....she

is trying so hard since finally getting on some good med's.

/CA

[Guest guest]

Hi , my daughter is so jealous of yours! She has only appeared in

local theater, some educational videos and a couple of commercials, which is

a pretty impressive resume IMO here in central Indiana :-) Can you share

some of the things we can watch for your daughter in? I am continually

amazed at the number of children with OCD who are interested in and skilled

in acting.

I wondered if your daughter has ever taken a class or read a book about

test-taking strategies and classroom tips...my child was an A student in her

understanding of the material, making Cs due to careless errors and etc. on

tests and seatwork and this helped her. Also have you ever read any of Mel

Levine's books or visited his website " All Kinds of Minds " ? Though this

isn't specific to OCD or ADHD necessarily it does offer guidance and insight

into helping a child navigate around their problem points and use their

strengths to succeed in school.

Do you have an IEP for your daughter at school? Carefully crafted this may

be very helpful in removing some of the roadblocks so she can do well at

school. I would think that the disparity between her IQ and ability level,

and her grades, would be a red flag to her teachers that she needed some

sort of accommodations in order to succeed.

Take care,

Kathy R. in Indiana

----- Original Message -----

> Thank you Huda.

> Actually she started writing these songs BEFORE she was ever on any

> medication. It was when I first started suspecting that something may be

going on with

> her...but hadn't involved any Dr's yet...so there was not even any

diagnosis

> off ADD or OCD yet. Some of the words in her songs were something like " If

only

> you could spend a day walking in my shoes..... " " If only I could tell you

> about what I thought.... " " If only people could understand what I'm going

> through.... " " I just wish I could be like everyone else.... " " The stresses

I

> have..... " " The worries I have about what others think of me.... " " The

sadness inside

> that I hide.... " " No one understands but me..... " ....etc...etc...

> I'll try to find the songs she wrote....they were pretty amazing. She's

> always been gifted intellectually as well as talented. Her IQ is 149. I

just wish

> her grades would reflect her intelligence. I personally don't get too

upset

> with the grades because I know she is so darn smart...and just needs to be

> taught in a different way than traditional school.....but of course the

school has

> to go by the grades. I know she could test out of the 12th grade (and

she's

> only in 7th)...even her school psychologist has said this...but she needs

school

> because she is not " 12th grade mature " . The worst part of the poor school

> grades is that she has lost her work permit to act. She has been in

acting

> since the age of 4...and it is still her passion...but without C's or

better, the

> state won't grant a work permit which sucks. It is her extra curricular

> activity, although she is actually a professional (and well paid) SAG

> actress...(Screen Actor's Guild)...and it looks like this will be her

career after high

> school and/or college. Kids that do sports for their extra curricular

activity

> don't have the state taking away any permit if they get bad grades....it

just doe

> sn't make sense! I mean, with acting, she even gets a personal tutor on

the

> sets when she's filming. So she is trying SO, SO hard to get C's or

better so

> that she can get her work permit back. I really hope she does this

time....she

> is trying so hard since finally getting on some good med's.

> /CA