If you have ever wonder how difficult it may be to raise a depressed child or if you are currently dealing with this, this article is for you. Cynthia Germanotta, Lady Gaga’s mother and co-founder of the Born this way Foundation has recently opened up about how it was raising her gifted daughter. Coping with the emotional and mental difficulties that your child is facing is an inherent part of parenthood. Although this is completely normal, when it comes to more acute mental health conditions, the parental challenges are more complicated.
Not many people know this, but most mental issues are triggered by the age of fourteen. Statistics show that in the US, one out of five teenagers lives with undiagnosed mental health issues. Therefore, they are struggling with these conditions without getting the help that they need. Cynthia revealed that she had been in that place when raising her daughter Stefani Germanotta, most known by her alias Lady Gaga. Turn out the singer-songwriter began struggling with anxiety and depression when she was a teenager. It was only after her mother noticed this, that the young Gaga was diagnosed with PTSD.
As a result of Cynthia's experience in raising a child with mental health issues, she shared a few tips that could make the life of the parents in the same situation a little easier:
Listen more, talk less. You don’t need to try to solve their problems; all you need is for them to feel comfortable when speaking about their issues.
Educate yourself on how teenagers with mental health conditions behave, versus the average teenager. Think of ways to get closer to your child to help him or her out.
Compile resources. You will need to find out which resources may be helpful for your children so that you can provide them when needed.
The struggle may be hard, but it seems like Gaga's mom managed to do a pretty excellent job!