It can be difficult to watch family members struggle with mental illness. Some things that seem helpful at first, can actually be harmful in the end. You need to understand the right way to help and provide meaningful support. You should know how to help family members struggling with mental illness and what your role should be when helping them to heal.
Learn About the Illness
You will provide the best support when you know about the mental illness. Take the time to read, talk to doctors, and learn about the illness affecting your family member. This will give you the ability to identify patterns of behavior caused by the illness, and moments when it might be appropriate to talk. You will also be better able to understand what your loved one is going through each day.
Ask What You Can Do To Help
Don’t spend time guessing what you can do to help. Just ask your family member during a calm and quiet time. You might be surprised about the answer. Understanding the needs of the person will make your support more effective. It can also give insight into the struggle going on between your family member and the illness. Try to help as asked unless the requests are destructive.
Support Healthy Behaviors
You want to support any healthy behaviors by your loved one. If your loved one does something healthy and positive, then do everything you can to encourage that behavior. This will reinforce the idea that certain behaviors are accepted while others are not. It can help to make things more clear while your family member is interacting with others, or struggling to get through a bad day.
Remain Available to Talk
Always remain available to talk about the mental illness. If your family member calls, shows up, or contacts you in some other way, then stop and listen. Your loved one might be prepared to talk about important issues, or to reveal sensitive personal issues. Always being ready to listen is one of the best ways to help and protect family struggling with mental illness. Keep yourself open, and don’t shut them down when they want to express something to you.
Establish Boundaries and Limits
You need to protect yourself in order to keep providing support. Establish clear boundaries and limits about different behaviors. This will depend on the exact situation and illness. You want to have a safe place for yourself and you want to remain emotionally secure. These boundaries can protect your emotionally, financially, and physically in certain cases.
Encourage Treatment at a Professional Facility
You can help a family member by encouraging treatment at Focus Treatment Centers. Treatment centers can provide professional attention sometimes in an inpatient setting. Provide information and gentle encouragement without issuing ultimatums. A family member with anorexia or bulimia will often make the decision to visit an eating disorder facility in Memphis or more locally when the time is right.
You need to be sensitive when dealing with mental illness. Always remember to never blame anyone for the illness or certain behaviors. Providing support for your family member requires patience, understanding, and knowledge. A treatment center should be the ultimate goal since they can provide the help and supervision your loved one needs.
