(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Mental illness is a painful and traumatic condition for the person involved. Because the environment may be wrought with discord and distress, it can even prove challenging for the family members. Here are ways mental illness can affect your family and what you can do to deal with the issues
Parental Guilt
No matter the age of your child, parents are typically the ones who seek help for their child in need. Although research supports that there are an assortment of conditions that can contribute to a child’s mental state, parents are usually not to blame. As a parent, it can be hard to overcome your feelings of guilt for your child’s suffering. You may also let your own life spiral out of control because it’s hard to face what your child is going through. If you have other children, the added attention one child needs can make you neglectful of the others.
Spouses and Partners
Living with a partner or spouse with mental illness can put stress on your relationship. It can also place a strain on the existing household relationships such as parents, siblings, partners and children. If your loved one is mentally ill, you may even find yourself feeling shameful, guilt or blaming yourself for their mental anguish. Intimacy, work and social commitments can all suffer and leave you grieving for the life you once had. You can encourage your spouse by seeking professional help for their problems. As a lifestyle management and recovery center, Vantage Point Recovery Center’s mission is to provide a supportive, safe and fun environment for loved ones and their families. Through the professional services, you’ll be able to help your partner unlock the answers that may be troubling them from within.
Brothers and Sisters
Whether a brother or sister, mental illness can cause siblings to be stressed, confused, fearful and angry. They may also worry about the stigma attached to a family’s mental illness in the form of shame or guilt. If their sibling is distressed, family members could worry that they will also develop mental illness over time. You can help your child through this by giving them access to counseling. You can also encourage them to voice their concerns and communicate when they are feeling sad about their sibling and depressed. If at all possible, you may want to bring the other family members in on the counseling sessions of the person struggling. Age, closeness, birth order and willingness of the individual being treated can all be contributing factors on how a brother or sister may get through this trying time.
Small Children
Younger children are more vulnerable in dealing with problems within a family. Although you may think that they won’t have any ideas that an issue can exist, their perceptions are typically strong. Seeing a family member struggle can be frightening and scary for someone so young. To better help them deal, you want to ensure that the information you’re providing them with is age appropriate. To alleviate their fears, you may want to enlist the help of a professional. You find support systems through school, university, employers and mental health support centers. If you’re the parent, you have to provide the right amount of attention to the other family members. This includes staying on top of your child’s school work, extracurricular activities and making sure that you schedule things that are fun. While you may want to crumble when dealing with a family member’s mental illness, your remaining children are dependent on you and need you to be strong.
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