ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE: MENTAL HEALTH WITHIN THE FAMILY


“…Why don’t you come for my school events like my friends dad and mum?...”

 

“…My parents can’t afford the same things as what my friends have...”

 

“…I don’t know if I’m being a good parent, I made mistake, my child isn’t normal…”

 

“…We aren’t good together, let’s keep things together for the children…”

 

“…It’s my job, I don’t have all the time for our marriage, I’m the man, I have to earn money for us…”

 

“…Why did he leave? I’m just one lady, how will I cope with these children…?”

 

Do some of these phrases sound familiar to you or some of the family stories you have read?

If they have, we see you and we acknowledge that things within families do not always go the way we want.

At times, we want to be the perfect husband, father, mother, wife, child or even excellent family member that everyone looks up to. However, they are enough challenges thrown our way that often conflict our thoughts, emotions and behaviours.

Sometimes we easily feel that it is hard to keep up when living with others and ultimately wish to get away from everything or wonder why our homes are not like the other families, we seem to find that are perfect and don’t have the struggles you may possibly have.

However, it is important to recognize that matters that challenge our mental health do not choose people and are not biased, therefore it is not accurate to feel that we are less valuable as family due to certain challenges.

In this mix of matters it is important to learn some of the warning signs that could help in finding out potential mental illness or mental health issues.



 

 

Signs and symptoms of potential mental health issues in the family

Every mental illness or mental health issues can have their own specific signs and symptoms; however, they are general signs and symptoms that can appear and can be important to be aware of.

 

 



 

Adults, Young Adults and Adolescents (13 – 60+yrs)

-      Confused thinking

-      Prolonged depression (sadness or irritability)

-      Feelings of extreme highs or lows

-      Excessive fears, worries and anxiety

-      Social withdrawal

-      Dramatic changes in sleeping or eating patterns/habits

-      Strong feelings of anger

-      Strange thoughts or hearing and seeing things that are not there (delusions and hallucinations)

-      Growing inability to keep up with daily problems and activities

-      Suicidal thoughts

-      Numerous unexplained physical ailments

-      Substance use

 

Older children and pre-adolescents (10 – 12yrs)

-      Inability to cope with daily activities

-      Changes in sleeping and eating patterns

-      Defiance of authority, truancy, theft and/or vandalism

-      Intense fear

-      Frequent outbursts of anger

-      Prolonged negativity or negative mood, which is often accompanied by poor appetite or thoughts of death

-      Changes in ability to manage responsibilities, be it at home or school

-      Complaints of numerous physical ailments

 

Younger children (3 – 9yrs)

-      Persistent nightmares

-      Hyperactivity

-      Persistent disobedience or aggression

-      Frequent temper and tantrums

-      Excessive worry or anxiety (i.e refusing to go to school or bed)

-      Changes in sleeping or eating habits

-      Poor grades despite strong efforts

-      Changes in school performance

 

Whenever some of the signs and symptoms appear, in one individual or more, they can bring about a strong effect towards the whole functioning of the family. It can cause a lot of complex thoughts and emotions that disturb our day to day lives. Despite the tough conditions that may appear, some of the ways to handle some of these things include:

 

Practicing acceptance and beginning the conversation: When the appearance of signs and symptoms of mental illness or mental health issues happen to a loved one, it can be a distressing time for everyone in family.

It may cause us to deny the situation because of what we may look like to other people, worry or have guilt that we have caused the problem and many others.

Despite the stress, it is important to be able to practice acceptance and engage in a conversation. During the conversation, it is important to remain, non-judgmental and listen attentively without overemphasizing your side of things

This not only helps in easing and releasing complex thoughts and emotions but also assists and getting down to problem objectively and chart a course for things to get better.

It helps bring about a clearer picture of the problem and erase confusion.

 

 

 

Educating yourself about the mental illness or mental health issues: In the midst of complex behaviour that a person with a mental health issue or mental illness may exhibit, it may cause confusion and frustration, initially. In this situation, in order to be able to understand and communicate better with your loved one, being able to be educated and informed about the mental illness or mental health condition that they have, can be able to help navigate various scenarios that their signs and symptoms may manifest.

 

Seeking support for yourself and other family members: In the midst of confusion, frustration and stigma in which the situation that a family member, having a mental illness or mental health issue creates, we may feel exhausted and fatigued in trying to keep up.

However, it is important that we are able to seek support services such as counselling and therapy, which can help us manage our complex emotions and thoughts, and be rejuvenated enough to be keep going and manage our daily lives.

Other forms of help and support can be mental health communities that are facing similar problems with a family member with a mental health issue, and can be people who can offer assistance through the journey and reminded that you are not alone.

 

 

 Conclusion

 

Whenever we are encountered with mental health issues within the family, it can cause a huge amount of stress and turmoil within the family.

 

However, it is important to remember that mental health issues, do not make us any less of a family, and it does not mean we are unworthy of being able to love and appreciate each other within the family and by others in society.

 

Scenarios of mental health issues in families can be helped by being able to engage in conversations and practicing acceptance of a family members mental health issue as well as reaching out to mental health services and professionals.

 

Finally, it is important to know that we are not alone and they are other families who may be experiencing the similar situations with a family member and may offer a source of help and sense of community to navigate the path.

References

https://www.mhanational.org/recognizing-warning-signs

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/helping-a-loved-one-cope-with-mental-illness

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/articles/how-support-someone-mental-health-problem

 

 

 

 


 

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