When considering mental and physical health, many lifestyle changes can help your student feel better. However, medication is often important for managing certain mental health conditions. One of the primary difficulties of medication is learning how to be consistent with it. Medication management can help.
Managing medication is a skill. Managing medication can be particularly difficult for students who struggle with mental health and executive functioning. By helping your student learn to manage medication, you will help them succeed at whatever path they choose. Working with a trusted facility can help by supporting your student necessary to learn to live as an independent adult.
Medication Management: What Is It?
Medication management ensures that medications are taken and used as prescribed. The specifics of dosage, frequency, and type of medication will vary for each individual. However, taking medications as prescribed is very important for them to help in the manner they are meant to.
While many conditions can be managed or affected by lifestyle adjustments, medication is also a helpful tool when struggling with the following conditions:
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Depression
Anxiety
Bipolar disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Every adolescent will have unique treatment needs. Working with a mental health care professional is the best route when considering if medication is the right choice for your student.
Importance of Medication Management in Long-Term Success
Medication management is a valuable skill that will impact your student's success in college and beyond. It will help your student care for their mental health, understand their needs, and build autonomy that will help them live as independent adults.
Mental Health
Many adolescents who struggle to smoothly transition into adulthood have mental health disorders that contribute to their challenges. Medication is not utilized to manage all mental health disorders. However, adherence to medication prescriptions for those that it is used for is important. Therefore, medication management is one tool to help aid in good mental health.
Mental health impacts every part of your student's life, including their success in college and beyond. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) describes how untreated mental health issues can cause the following for your student:
Difficulty learning
Lack of academic success due to lack of focus
Challenges creating friendships
Difficulty completing schoolwork
Struggling to live independently
While being a student differs from working as an adult, many skills cross over. The ability to focus and complete work is relevant in both schools and as an employee. Additionally, learning to live independently is a skill that your student will need now and in the future. Therefore, a lack of adherence to medications can impact them immediately, at school, and in the long term.
Autonomy
As your student transitions into adulthood, they need to learn how to live independently. An important skill to be independent is autonomy, which includes self-care. Self-care includes many skills like cooking, cleaning, or exercise. It also includes understanding and practicing skills that help to manage mental health, such as medication management.
Researchers have found that adolescents commonly struggle to adhere to consistently taking prescribed medication. This can be a result of many factors, including the following:
Difficulty with executive functioning
Mental health conditions
Cognitive changes or challenges
Lack of understanding of the value of medication
Medication management is a skill that can be taught. It requires learning responsibility and independence while transitioning into adulthood. By working with a coach and mental health care professional, your student can learn this skill. Often this will include learning how to create and follow a schedule, practicing self-care skills, and learning the value of medication management in their lives.
Medication Management as Part of a Whole Treatment Plan
It is common for adolescents to struggle with the transition into adulthood. As a parent, it can be very hard to watch. Getting your student help to learn the necessary skills to thrive as an adult is important. One skill that needs to be included in medication management.
By working with a mental health care professional and coach, your student can gain the understanding and skills to independently care for their needs. However, along the way, you can help support them. One way to do this is by learning about the value of medication management and what their specific challenges are regarding medication management and independent living.
When you understand the importance and specific needs of your student, you will be better able to help them as a parent. This might look like getting them a pill dispenser for each day of the week or helping them find an app to remind them when to take their medication. Regardless, you can play an important role in managing their medication and getting the help they need to live as an independent adult without compromising their mental or physical health.
Managing medication sounds simple. However, it is a daily habit that can become overlooked when other stressors or events come up. Medication management is an important skill that will help your student thrive in college and live independently. At Northwest College Support, we understand that many mental health disorders are effectively managed with medication. Therefore, we help students to learn the value of medication management and the skills necessary to be consistent with their medication. As a parent, you can also learn to play an active role in your student's development through our parent coaching. To learn more about our programs and how they will help your student smoothly transition into adulthood, call us today at (877) 485-2776.
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