Carers do a very important job and those dealing with mental illness can find themselves in very stressful situations. If a carer does not take care of themselves it will not be long before health problems arise for them too. Strategies for dealing with the day to day issues and focusing on the recovery of the mentally ill person are issues to be addressed.
I used to think that anyone afflicted with a mental illness was going to be a very ill person for the rest of their lives.
From first-hand experience I can tell you that it is very possible for a person with a mental disorder to gain a reasonable standard of living after suffering from a chronic mental illness.
For some, a mental illness may only last a couple of weeks or months, but for others the time could lead into many years.
I am a carer, and certainly no medical expert, but I am speaking from experience of my own situation and from observing many other situations with people who I personally know and who have suffered chronic illnesses.
RECOVERY
It is the greatest feeling to see someone, especially one of your own, who has been so ill and slowly regain control of their life.
The fact of the matter is though, that this will not happen until such time that the one suffering from a mental illness is ready to address the problem themselves and take responsibility for its management.
SETTING GUIDELINES AND BOUNDARIES
The carer needs to learn where to set the boundaries, where to say "NO" and learn to separate 'the illness' from 'the person'. These are very important steps towards the recovery process for the mentally ill. Sometimes in only a matter of minutes true unadulteated love has to turn into tough love.
The carer's role is to support, but it is so important that the carer does not get caught up in the whole illness scene and become unable to cope through stress and their own ill health. By learning strategies to be in control of their own lives it also ultimately helps those who are ill.
So, to all carers and family members reading this article I would encourage you not to give up hope, but work through that horrendous first stage of everyone learning to cope with the illness and support the person who is ill as our journey, as carer and family, is nowhere as bad as their journey. It may only take months for things to settle down but, as in our case, it may take years.
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