Many of us either have friends, family and/or children with mental illnesses, some illnesses people just don’t understand. There can be a person who is very outgoing, popular and beautiful but deep down inside; no one knows that they may have a personality disorder or may even be bipolar. I , myself have suffered from depression and no one would know unless I told them. I chose not to medicate myself and tried other alternatives such as reading books, going to the movies, shopping as well as what I am doing now…Blogging! Mental Illness also runs in my family from bipolar disorder to Schizophrenia. Some chose to medicate and some did not but what they did do is get help from whatever resources they could find.
I would not wish a mental illness on my worst enemy. I have been on the receiving end of some of the actions of someone who suffers from a mental illness and it sucked big time. I knew deep down inside that they could not help what they were doing but people covering up for it hurt me even more. For parents with children who suffer from mental illnesses, do your best to educate those around you. People fear what they don’t understand or they have pre conceived notions about what a certain illness cause the person to act like or do. If you suspect your child having an problem, please please please go see someone. Do not act like it does not exist because the person who will end up suffering is the child. Do not treat your child as their illness is a hindrance. Remind your child that you love them and they can do and be whatever they want to be.
Our country has a huge problem with not providing enough resources for those with these issues. Some places instead of giving proper counseling and finding alternatives to medication. They stop the counseling and just give medication without any other options. Some parents also may need counseling especially if they do not know how to handle their child or many find that they do not have a support system. Everyone needs someone to talk to and holding it in, only makes everything more stressful. There are some mental issues that I myself are not familiar with and I am still learning about them, day by day.
Some websites that I use to learn from include
http://www.athealth.com/Consumer/issues/
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mentalhealth.html
http://www.mental-health-matters.com/
I would love hearing from some people who have family members, children or even those who have a mental issue. Educate us on what struggles you have been through, have seen and/or are dealing with now.
