I've been reading the government website but it's not overly clear. I'm not sure if she'll qualify and I'm looking for the thoughts/advice of people with similar situations. My daughter is 19 and lives at home. She was recently diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and severe anxiety. She wants to get a job but her mood changes so frequently from day to day we are not sure she'll be able to hold anything down. She had a job once so far and it didn't last long. We'd like her to keep trying, but at this point we're wondering how well she'll ever be able to hold down employment. Even further education would be a challenge, as she barely managed to finish high school (through an alternative program). It would be nice to get her set up so she can receive some income so she doesn't feel like she's just sitting at home all day. I just don't know if she's likely to qualify. We're not charging her rent and she doesn't have any expenses. Our concern is more about her self-esteem and her own future self-sustainability. At this point all we have is the paperwork from the health centre confirming her diagnosis. Has anyone had any similar situations for themselves or another? If so then what was your experience? Thanks!!
Welcome to EC. I am sorry that your daughter has such difficulties. About waiting for an answer. Forums are not like social media, they do not happen in real time. I log on maybe two times a day, many people only log even less frequently as in a few times a week or even less. Also, your question is pretty specific and thus many people may not have good ideas on how to help. I am someone who is disabled, I have been officially disabled and getting benefits for over 20 years. (I am originally from the USA and my disability insurance comes from there). It is not easy to get disability payments in the USA. Often it takes applying, being refused and then applying again with the help of a special attorney who gets their pay by taking a percentage of the first major checks received.
I'm not in the United States so I cannot comment on the specifics concerning education and employment, or receipt of financial assistance from government, but I do wonder if your daughter would benefit from doing unpaid work for a charity or community group that offers a high level of flexibility in terms of time/commitment. On her bad days it maybe wouldn't be feasible, but on her good days it really might. It's also possible that having this option available could help to balance things over the long term and give her more confidence. What do you think?
It’s a bit challenging case for sure. Does your daughter maybe have any hobbies you could turn into a job or something that she enjoys doing? I have a sister who is 28 and does have a disability. She barely managed to finish 9th grade and has no high school education. She goes to day centre in a hospital for disabled and there she does learn some new skills. They have days, when they do arts and crafts and other things. That is a way for her to just not be home every single day and be bored, even though she still gets bored and I really want to her to go to the adult high school and it’s a great high school also, but with her also, there are days, when she is energetic and not sick and other days are not that great.
There are groups and organizations that can help, but at the moment I am drawing a blank. Not all of them are nation wide either so you would need to look around your intimidate area, because if I mentioned a place here in Idaho, they might not be in your part of the country. I would suggest first talking with the place that diagnosed her about local places that help people with disabilities. Depending on the size of the place you live there could be one or a dozen, and there are advocates for disabled people who help submit paper work and argue with the government to get people with disabilities the care and support they need.
Maybe do some homework with the NIH? they have a lot of treatment research ideas doctors won't talk to you about?
