Sunday, April 28, 2013

I see it from both sides now...how to find help as a family member...



I have an interesting perspective.  I’ve seen the issues in living with mental illness from both sides.  As you know, I grew up with a mentally ill family member.  My Mom was mentally ill.  And she was undiagnosed and untreated.  For years, my Mom didn’t bathe.  She was angry and abusive.  She called all of us names.  She used to tell my Dad he was “queer”.   Our life with Mom was stressful and difficult.  And in those days, mental health treatment was definitely not that available.  Or at least my family had no idea how to force her to get help. As an adult, I have had my own experiences with depression.  I am medicated for my depression.  In addition, I have worked in the mental health field in a variety of roles.  For example, I have been a case manager in a community- based treatment program and worked as an intake clerk for an in-patient psychiatric facility.  So, I have some experience dealing with mental illness from a variety of perspectives. I am clearly not a doctor.  What I write is not scholarly.  It is just based on my experiences and observations.  I share what I have learned with you.  I hope that you will share with me.  And I enjoy hearing what YOU think about what I am writing.  If you desire to respond to me, information on how to do so is contained in the “How do you contact me?” section of the blog.  

In this article, I would like to discuss something about how to find support when you are living with someone with a mental illness.  There are a variety of places that you can find support.  Here are some of them:
  • Support Groups.  You can find support groups online or you can call a local mental health clinic.  NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) can direct you to available groups.          
  • Through a family program in an inpatient hospital program.  If your loved one is hospitalized and you are included in the treatment process, you can find options for support through the family program staff. 
  • Outpatient therapy.  (Life Coach/Counselor/Therapist)
  •  If your loved one is an addict or alcoholic, you can find support through  AlAnon or NarAnon.   
  •  Blogs and educational articles on mental illness.
When you are dealing with a mentally ill friend/loved one, you will need support and education.  It takes a great deal of patience and understanding to deal with mental illness.  And you deserve the opportunity for support.  If there is anything that I can do for you, don’t hesitate to contact me.  I would love to help you problem solve about options. Finally, I encourage you to keep reading my blog.  You may hear something that you need to hear.  Or you may be able to share a story with me that will light the way for someone else.  Welcome. 

Blogs and Websites:

This is clearly a partial list.  If you put the relevant words into a search engine, you should pull up a list of articles and blogs.  I hope to hear from you.  Looking forward to chatting…

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