Mental Health Awareness Month: Carrie’s Story

Meet Carrie Andrews, a coordinator of community services here at Service Coordination, and the mother of five children with mental health challenges.

This Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re recognizing the importance of mental health and shining a light on the unique mental health journeys of a few of our team members.

Some have endured mental health struggles like anxiety and depression firsthand, while others have supported loved ones as they’ve navigated mental health battles. No two stories are the same, but each one matters.

Today, we invite you to meet Carrie Andrews, a coordinator of community services at Service Coordination working in Allegany County. Carrie is the proud mother of four children, ages 32, 25, 20, and 17. Each of Carrie’s children faces some type of mental health challenge, which has required Carrie to find individualized treatment for all of them.

“There are not enough therapists and psychiatrists to meet the needs of people who have mental illnesses,” says Carrie, who says that finding quality mental health providers has been the most challenging part of supporting her children through their mental health struggles. When Carrie’s family moved to Maryland, her daughter was put on a waiting list to see a therapist. It took more than two years for her daughter to finally get an appointment.

Not only is finding mental health providers difficult, but affording them also proves to be challenging. “It is often very expensive,” she says. “Insurance doesn’t cover mental health as rigorously as physical health, so if you do find a good provider, you may have to pay out of pocket.”

While physical illnesses are often more visible, mental health illnesses aren’t as easily seen, often leading to misunderstanding and stigma. Carrie says this stigma made it difficult for her to advocate for her children and their needs while they were growing up. “Many educators don’t understand how to support children with mental health conditions,” she says. “And they don’t have much empathy for them, either.”

The disparity between the way physical and mental health challenges are viewed has impacted not only how Carrie’s children have been treated, but it’s affected how others treat Carrie, too.

“I wish people would provide the same support and compassion for parents who have children with mental health conditions as they do for parents who have children with physical disabilities or illnesses,” she says. “The stigma leaves us feeling isolated and embarrassed to seek help.”

To ensure she’s able to support her children on their mental health journeys, Carrie has made it a priority to take care of her own mental health. She currently goes to therapy, which she says helps her maintain her mental well-being, and learn how to best care for her children.

Carrie’s journey with mental health – both as the mother of children with mental health struggles and as someone navigating her own mental health challenges, has helped evolve her understanding of mental health over time.

“I’ve learned that most of us will struggle with our mental health at some point in our lives,” she says. “And treatments for mental health are not a magic bullet. It can take many attempts before you find what helps manage your symptoms.”

When asked what advice she would give to other parents beginning the journey of caring for a child with a mental health challenge, Carrie stresses the importance of persistence.

“Don’t be afraid to advocate for your child’s needs,” she says. “Continue to find what works for your child. It can be a long road, but it is worth it.”

This Mental Health Awareness Month, we thank Carrie for her vulnerability and willingness to share her story, and recognize her compassion and dedication to helping her children on their mental health journeys. You inspire us, Carrie!