If you’re a parent or carer of someone who has a mental illness, you’ve probably been wondering how to look after your mental health. It can be easy to become overwhelmed by the worries and pressures of everyday life, but it’s your duty as a responsible adult to support someone in their time of need. So how do you help?
Unfortunately, whilst medication can sometimes help with depression and anxiety, there are other mental health issues that cannot be treated with medication alone. The best way to look after someone with a mental illness is to offer all the emotional and practical support they need.
When faced with a loved one with mental health problems, the first thing that comes to mind is depression. Whilst this is a recognised disorder, there are other more common mental health issues. For example, those who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be plagued by thoughts and memories of a traumatic event.
We all know someone with PTSD – but what does this disorder actually involve and how can it affect a person? Here we take a closer look at what PTSD really is and why it needs to be taken seriously, as well as offer tips on how to look after your mental health.
Sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder have experienced some form of real or perceived traumatic event. This is usually for example a car crash, rape, death of a loved one, a natural disaster or even a serious accident that left a person injured.
Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an extremely difficult time to be in. Not only does it leave its sufferers feeling emotionally numb, but it leaves them feeling vulnerable, insecure and often embarrassed about feelings of distress and grief. Treatment can take time but it’ essential to being able to move on.
For those suffering from PTSD, there are physical issues that they need to overcome. The most obvious is that they will need to recover physically, both mentally and emotionally from the trauma of the event, and that means they may have anxiety and depression.
In addition, the trauma can cause physical effects such as hyperventilation and dizziness, and they may even suffer nightmares and flashbacks. Luckily, there are several ways that can help sufferers cope with their symptoms and break down these barriers of their fears and phobias.
Helping people deal with their physical and mental health issues requires that you are open about your feelings. For example, if you’re a caring parent, you should talk to your child about what they’re going through. If you’re looking for faster or more specialist mental health assistance, you may look for professional talk therapy such as truth counselling in Newcastle.
However, there’s an important role to play as well. Most doctors recommend that you take a step back and focus on the person you care for rather than trying to focus on your own needs.
Most importantly, you should give your loved one the support that they need to get through their challenges with the aim of helping them manage their mental health. If they are stressed and experiencing feelings of anxiety, you should give them the tools they need to help themselves overcome the stresses of everyday life.
Being able to help your loved one recover from their mental health, and vice versa, is crucial to both of your lives. If you want to learn how to look after your mental health yourself, you’ll be delighted to hear that there are all sorts of courses and guides available that help you to learn about and practice mental health care.
