Tuesday, September 11, 2018

How Coping With Mental Illness In The Family Becomes A Reality

By Jeffrey Ross


Mental illness has always been very relevant. However, it was a subject that was not talked about in the past. For example, soldiers would come back from the battlefield and were mostly suffering from PTSD, but simply had to get on with their lives. Coping with mental illness in the family as well is also something that one needs to be able to talk about.

This may vary from one person to the next. Some people will display more physical symptoms which can include a change in mood, the loss of appetite, substance abuse and the inability to socialize. Other people will be emotionally affected. This is sometimes worse. Even with medication it can be erratic because it means that the family won't know what to expect.

In severe cases, the individual may have a meltdown and this can happen at any point in time. It can also happen at a social event or in a public place. The family may feel that they are not able to have guests over because of this. If it is a spouse that has issues, it can affect the children. The couple may feel in the initial stages that children are not an option.

It is not only the individual that needs guidance, but also the family members. In addition to this, it is not just the spouse, but also the kids and the siblings or close friends and extended family who are close to the individual. Without this sort of guidance, the family can begin to drift apart. They will begin to avoid one another and this need not happen.

Sometimes, family members just don't know enough about the illness. The first thing that they think about is to send the individual to a home. Finding out more about the illness is the first step that one should take. A specialized therapist will be able to help here. Sometimes, people are not on medication. They will have serious depression, so of course, they are going to lie in bed all day in a catatonic state.

They will see mom or dad sleeping all day or they will see that they have become angry all of a sudden and begin to think that they have done something wrong. Kids will become ashamed of themselves. The whole family will need to receive therapy and openly discuss what they are feeling instead of bottling this up inside.

It is difficult to think to keep telling yourself not to blame yourself or not to take the individual seriously. You may be a sensitive person. It is common for the individual to lash out or to continuously blame everyone else in the family. On the other hand, there are those affected by disorders who never speak to their families. This is obviously hurtful as well.

Relationship will especially become strained during the teenage years. There are a lot of hormones flying about. Parents need to offer their support during these times. It is important for them to find out more about what they are going through because this is the best way that they can offer their support and show compassion for them. A teen or child should know that they can come to the parent about anything and just open up.




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