Kelly Hrudy and his daughter Kaitlin share the story of Kaitlin’s struggle with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, focusing on awareness and recovery
Nearly one in five Canadian children and adolescents will be touched by a mental disorder serious enough to cause social, emotional or academic problems. They will not outgrow what ails them: 70 per cent of adults with a mental illness first experienced symptoms as children or youth. Timely treatment can prevent years of struggle — but only if parents know when and how to take action on one of the most daunting challenges any family can face. [RBC White Paper: Silent Families, Suffering Children and Youth]
Know the Signs campaign
The Royal Bank of Canada launched a national awareness campaign called Know the Signs in May 2013 designed to raise awareness about the top 5 early warning signs of mental illness that parents should watch for in their children. The campaign included Kelly Hrudey, a former NHL player and CBC hockey commentator and his daughter Kaitlin who chose to share their story for the first time during Children’s Mental Health Week.
Kaitlin Hrudey, now 21, was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder seven years ago. Learning how to manage Kaitlin’s illness took time, with many sleepless nights and struggles, but today, Kaitlin and Kelly speak openly about what they’ve experienced in order to help raise awareness and reinforce the importance of early intervention.
“You know your children. Even if they aren’t telling you something’s wrong, as a parent, you instinctively know,” says Kelly Hrudey. “We noticed changes in our daughter’s behavior but chalked it up to a ‘stage’. I wish I had known the warning signs to look for, so we could have recognized the problem earlier. This is why awareness and early detection are so important.”
According to Kaitlin, it’s essential that parents and children have an open dialogue: “When I was 12, I remember knowing something was wrong, but didn’t know what it was, which really scared me. I knew the right thing to do was to tell my parents so we could get through this together.”
The 5 early warning signs of children’s mental illness
The “Know the Signs” campaign identified five early warning signs to help parents identify possible indicators of childhood mental illness:
- Mood changes/swings: Persistent sadness or withdrawal.
- Anxiety: Frequent, prolonged worrying.
- Sudden change in grades: Poor concentration can lead to anxiety about going to school or a change in classroom success.
- Heightened emotions: Exaggerated fear or anger for seemingly no reason.
- Behavioral changes or acting out: Out-of-character changes in behavior or personality.
Most parents know that mental illness touches everyone. According to a 2012 RBC Children’s Mental Health Parents Poll, 57 per cent of respondents know of an adult in their family with a diagnosed mental health condition, while 28 per cent are related to a diagnosed child. Despite that level of awareness, the findings reveal that there’s a clear disconnect between parents and children in being able to talk about mental illness:
- Most parents assume that if their child had a mental health concern, either they or the other parent would be the first to know.
- Among young people who have visited the Kids’ Help Phone website, friends were the confidante of choice (50 per cent), with mom or dad a distant second.
- Twenty per cent of youth would not confide in anyone.
- Most parents would take a wait-and-see approach to symptoms such as exaggerated fear, constant anxiety about going to school, persistent sadness or moodiness and a sudden change in grades.
Experts agree that the best solution is to raise awareness of the warning signs among parents, and encourage open discussion with their children.
We speak with Kelly Hrudey and his daughter Kaitlin Hrudey.
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RELATED | Times Colonist: Hockey commentator Kelly Hrudey shares daughter’s struggle with mental illness (May 3, 2013) | Royal Bank of Canada news release: Not just a phase: Five early warning signs of children’s mental illness (May 6, 2013) | Royal Bank of Canada: RBC celebrates Children’s Mental Health Week 2013 (May 6, 2013) | The RBC Children’s Mental Health Project Parent Poll (with links to reports and documents) |
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The Journey to Peace of Mind: Since age 11, Kaitlin Hrudey has struggled with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Watch Kaitlin’s incredible journey and find out where she is today. (Dec. 10, 2013)
