The Reality Of Coping With Mental Illness In The Family

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.

If family members refuse to support their loved ones, it can be stressful for them. It can be a big blow because they will be feeling that they are a burden on them. They may feel as if there is something wrong with them. However, this is not true. This is an illness, just like any other illness that you hear about.

However, the fact that it can complicate the life of the parent or the spouse can obviously be frustrating. When this becomes severe, parents may send the individual to a home. However, this is not always necessary. There are other options to think about before one looks into this. There is medication as well as therapy. There are well organized programs which are specialized.

This often happens with someone who suffers from borderline personality disorder. They may seem fine for a lengthy period. However, they will go through a period where they become aggressive. Physical abuse may even take over. Some individuals will prefer to stay away from the family. Although they have not done anything wrong, they see them as evil and want nothing to do with them.

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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