Blogs
I'm still working on that post I've been promising--you know, the one where I address my perception of anger and blame being directed primarily at parents when it comes to psychiatric illness. I think about it often--when I'm in the shower in the morning, thinking about my own parents; when I'm checking my email, reading a comment from a reader who believes parents are the root of all evil; when I'm at home, and my adoring firstborn has just reminded me I'm not only an idiot, I'm annoying as all get-out.
Lack of funding for the mental health system is not as visible as this bus stop, but it is just as real. The consequences include a lack of talented treatment providers, difficulty accessing treatment and an overburdened prison system.
One of the problems I have with the mythology surrounding dissociative identity disorder is that it makes finding support and treatment difficult. DID is hard enough to contend with on its own without having to fight your way through fallacies and stereotypes just to get help. Some common misconceptions about dissociative identity disorder come from entertainment media. But DID itself, in the hands of those who don't understand it, is also a source of prevailing myths about the disorder.
Widowed at 29, during her second pregnancy, Hyla Molander was overwhelmed by grief so profound her body threatened to cease functioning. Hyla survived her most challenging times, at least in part because of the support and love she received. But she also knew she wouldn't recover without finding hope, the most basic and essential of self-help strategies.
Christmas: love it, hate it - it's here. And so are you.
What are you doing to treat stress, anxiety and depression over the Holidays?
Sometimes the loss of structure, even for a few days, when we stop putting so much energy into work or let our minds wander to the possibilities in things, trips me up. It's unexpected. All at once you're not distracted, and you're feeling things.
When my husband, David, left in August, I was hurt and angry that he choose to walk out while I was struggling with anorexia nervosa. Many people thought I was too quick to forgive him when he returned a month later. But I thought about what anorexia had done to our marriage for the past three years. He also struggled as he watched the woman he fell in love with fifteen years ago whittle away to almost nothing.
"Why do my kids always turn into complete monsters during the holidays?"
If you have ears, you've heard it; if you're a parent, you've said it. The "most wonderful time of the year" often seems like anything but for multiple reasons--not the least of which being our precious little angels usually seem to think they've already secured their position on either the "naughty" or "nice" list. Dealing with them, whether at home or away, can turn even Jolly Old St. Nick into Scrooge.
According to the Workplace Bullying Institute, 35% of the U.S. workforce - an estimated 53.5 million Americans - report being bullied at work. If you're one of them, you're already well acquainted with the dread and anxiety that goes along with being a victim of chronic psychological violence. But how well do you know your tormentor? Is she a narcissist, driven by a grandiose sense of her own importance? Is he a psychopath, devoid of compassion and empathy? Arming yourself with information about workplace bullies and their methods may help you find ways of coping with them.
As families grow larger and loved ones move away, traditions help to bind family members together and strengthen ties. A ritual or family tradition can be the one constant among an ever-evolving group of related people. Creating new traditions as old ones become stale or have lost their relevance is also a good idea, especially for families with young kids, blended-marriage families, and multi-cultural families.
or, why I should've gone to Hawaii
The amount of time I spend watching films that feature Colin Firth and/or Sandra Bullock to offset the moodiness and irritability ignited by the festive season - whilst paying for wholly unnecessary items on my Ebay account.
The pressure to invest in one day of no-regrets, wholehearted good cheer and joy. It doesn't come naturally to those of us who spend most of the year dealing with the symptoms of anxiety and depression.I love Christmas. I just don't buy into the myth that it's the one perfect day of the year.
Thank you for your comment. I'm sorry you're in that situation. I know how hard it is for parents to watch a child with mental illness struggle. Know this: you are not alone. Many parents are in this untenable situation.
Your options are very limited for the reasons you have listed. Your son is an adult and get to make his own decisions -- even when those decisions are heavily influenced by an illness. And while some might disagree, the US tends to fall on the side of personal rights, regardless of illness.
If your son is a risk to himself or others, you can see about getting him treated without his consent. (In some States, this is also possible when a person is at a grave threat of decompensation [getting sicker].) I know this is a hard thing to do, but sometimes the only thing that will help someone is the treatment they refuse.
I recommend you check out the Treatment Advocacy Center. They have a hotline and a lot of information online about serious mental illness and treatment of those illnesses: https://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/
I also wrote this piece about the situation when help is refused (not associated with HealthyPlace) and it lists some additional resources: https://natashatracy.com/bipolar-blog/person-mental-illness-accept-illness/?swcfpc=1
Finally, I recommend you reach out to other parents in the same situation. You may be able to find these people through groups like NAMI (just Google them). Knowing others facing the same issues can help.
I hope your son is able to get help.
-- Natasha Tracy