<p>This was an excellent article in our local newspaper today:</p>
<p>I encourage all parents to read this article. Our son, a college freshman this past year, was diagnosed with a serious mental illness a few months ago. At first, we thought it was totally "out of the blue." This article, though, states that there usually ARE some warning signs, and looking back, we can see them. I wish we had read this about two years ago. If your child describes really weird dreams, or writes bizarre, "stream of consciouness" stuff, don't just dismiss it. If you have ANY concerns, talk to a psychiatrist or counselor.</p>
<p>We think we caught our son's illness FAIRLY quickly, but it will be a lifelong issue for him. It makes me wonder if things would have been better if we'd done more last year, though.</p>
<p>Oh, I should mention that he was one of the LAST people I would ever have thought would become ill. He's always been happy, enthusiastic, athletic, and hard-working. He got several local scholarships for his passion for math, science, and running.</p>