Supporting A Loved One Through Mental Illness
In the United States 1 in 5 adults have been diagnosed with a mental illness. If your partner, family member or close friend has been diagnosed with a mental illness, it’s important for them to know that they are not alone and neither are you! Having a support system is one of the best ways to cope with mental disorders. It is important to remember while reading this post that being a supportive friend may look different depending on who you are supporting and what kind of mental illness they are struggling with. Listed below are some ways that you can support your loved one.
Learn as much as you can
Learning about the mental illness shows that you care and can also help you to understand how to best support your person. A great way to do this is by doing a quick online search on nami.org or mhanational.org could be helpful in learning about the diagnoses and symptoms that your partner may be experiencing. Be mindful that not all mental illnesses are the same. Also please remember that you are not your loved one’s therapist! It can be dangerous to try and play armchair psychologist on someone who has a mental disorder. Being supportive can look like encouraging your loved one to start therapy or to keep up with their medication.
Try to understand
Talk with your loved one and learn how their mental illness impacts them. It may not line up 100% to what you read online since everyone is unique. The best way to support your loved one is to try to understand what it is like for them to deal with mental health struggles. You may not “get it” perfectly or even relate, but just giving empathetic responses and avoiding saying things like “I had an aunt who struggled with that” or “I feel sad sometimes too”, this kind of response can seem dismissive and be “story topping” which doesn’t validate your loved one’s experience.
Asking the following questions may be helpful:
- How can I best support you?
- What days are hardest for you?
- When did this started for you?
- What symptoms do you experience?
- When does this happen?
- Are there triggers I should be aware of?
- What coping skills are most helpful for you?
- What outside support are you receiving?
- What time of year is hardest for you (Akron, Ohio is dark and dreary for months!)
- How often do you want me to reach out to you?
Take care of yourself first
Being a support system for your loved one is hard work. You cannot let your own mental health and self care wall to the wayside in this process, that is called codependency. Also you cannot “pour from an empty cup” you need to make sure you are filling your own cup up first everyday and then you can check in and be there for others. Think about what kind of self care activities you can engage in and make sure that you have strong and healthy boundaries with your loved one. You are amazing from wanting to be there for the people in your life. Take care of yourself and
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I hope you found this post helpful. Please reach out if it seems like we could be a good fit. I am a therapist who works primarily with young adults, I understand campus life better than most private practice therapists. I have experience helping other young adults navigate the stressful college years and I very much enjoy counseling college students. I see a variety of people in my Akron, Ohio counseling office. I treat people with depression, anxiety, religious trauma and gender dysphoria. Still have questions? Get answers to common questions about counseling hereFAQS or simply schedule a counseling session today to get started!