The Foreign Service Journal, January-February 2016

50 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL I n the Washington, D.C., area, mental health topics are regularly featured in the media, on web- sites and in social media. There are workshops and support groups for parents and mandatory training in “mental health first aid” for school personnel. Students have direct access to licensed counselors, psychologists, social workers and crisis hotlines. Mental health topics are required components of health curricula for students of all ages. And although specialized medical professionals are in short supply across the United States, more children and ado- lescents are accessing treatment, including via telemedicine. Foreign Service families have little exposure to the topic and, given the nature of our lifestyle, limited access to these kinds of resources; yet our families are not immune frommental health concerns. Parents are asking: Are we doing enough for Foreign Service kids? Third Culture Kids TCKs are children who spend most of their developmen- tal years outside of their parents’ culture. Like their parents, TCKs weather frequent moves, separations, loss and trauma. Like their parents, our TCKs are assumed to be adaptable and resilient—and many are. But kids often lack the developmental maturity and a sense of identity or belonging that are essential KimDeBlauw is amember of the Senior Foreign Service, class of minister-counselor. She joined the Foreign Service in 1986 and has served at posts in Latin America, Africa and Europe, as well as inWashington, D.C. She and her husband, Juan Ramirez, have three children. The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the U.S. government. to managing these transitions. This can result in symptoms of depression, anxiety, adjustment disorders and even post-trau- matic stress disorder. Among the global population, 20 percent of youth (ages 13-18) live with a mental health condition; and, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14. While the State Department does not track mental health data, Foreign Service families experience medevacs, assignment curtailments and even some painful tragedies due to child or teen mental health issues. Chil- dren of employees assigned to Washington, D.C., or college-age dependents may also need treatment, but families and young adults must negotiate the bewildering U.S. mental health care system on their own. Research about TCK development suggests that kids benefit from strong family and community support, deliberate prepara- tion for transition and affirmation of their emotions along with other resilience skills. Parents may assume their children have the same resilience as they do; but individuals, even within the same family, can have different abilities to cope. Counseling and other professional support should acknowledge the unique environment and history of the globally mobile child for opti- mal diagnosis and treatment. Current Resources This past year, available State Department and some exter- nal resources were compiled and disseminated—for the first time—via cable and in a global webinar. They are featured, along with relevant publications and websites, on the website of the Foreign Service Youth Foundation (www.fsyf.org. ). State Department offices focus their support for families overseas with information, consultations and training on resiliency. This support includes the Office of Medical Services’s network of What About Our Kids? FOCUS Foreign Service children are just as at risk of mental health problems as the average American child, if not more so. BY K I M DEBLAUW ON MENTAL HEALTH CARE FOR THE FOREIGN SERVICE