Whether it’s a mental or physical illness, it’s natural to concentrate on the person who has the illness. Many forget that family members and loved ones are also suffering. The impact of mental illness on families comes in the forms of grief, denial, frustration, exhaustion, and stigma.
Mental Illness is Foreign to Most People
It is difficult for anyone to deal with strange thinking and bizarre and unpredictable behavior. Imagine what it must be for families of people with mental illness. It is bewildering, frightening and exhausting. Even when the person is stabilized on medication, the apathy and lack of motivation can be frustrating.
Take, for example, our guest on this Tuesday’s HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show. Rebecca is a 33 year old mother of 3 young girls. She has spent the last two years watching her oldest daughter, age 12, “fall apart.”
Her daughter has experienced repeated fainting spells, severe headaches, catatonic episodes and bizarre hallucinations. Even with a college degree in psychology, Rebecca was not prepared for the diagnosis her daughter received – Dissociative Identity Disorder.
In her guest blog post (My Daughter’s Mental Illness Has Turned My World Upside Down), you can tell Rebecca has great sympathy and empathy for her daughter’s situation. At the same time, her family has shouldered a huge emotional and financial burden. And you can feel the enormity of it all…the toll it has already taken.
On Tuesday, Rebecca will be sharing her story of mental illness in the family and some things that she has learned through experience that bring her brief moments of relief.
About the HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show
The HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show airs live every Tuesday night at 5:30 pm PST, 7:30 pm CST, and 8:30 pm EST. Our guest and HealthyPlace Medical Director, Dr. Harry Croft, will be taking your personal questions. (Read Dr. Croft’s blog post on Coping with Mental Illness in the Family for additional insight into the struggles of family members.)
If you miss the live show which can be viewed on our site, you can always click the “on-demand” button on the player and watch the show at your convenience.
Share Your Experiences on Mental Illness in the Family
We also invite you to call us at 1-888-883-8045 and share your experience – whether as a family member or loved one of someone with a mental illness. What has it been like for you and how are you coping? (Info on Sharing Your Mental Health Experiences here.) You can also leave comments below.
How can I get help for our 40yr.old daughter? We don’t have any money. She lost consciousness on Dec. 29, 2008 and has Short-term Memory Loss. We love her and want to help her. She was seeing a psychiatrist once and then he couldn’t see her again because he has to see so many service personnel.
Hi Iurayp: I grew up with a mentally ill mother so I understand your pain. I would recommend that you contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) http://www.nami.org and find your local chapter. NAMI will put you in contact with others dealing with similar problems and provide you with tools, information and support.
Best of luck to you