Articles Tag: Caring for Sufferers

Caring for people suffering from mental illness can be a difficult task. It can not only be challenging to look after our loved ones who are suffering, but taking care of them can even make us ill. If you need to learn more about different aspects of helping sufferers please select one of the options below:

Are you a parent or guardian looking after a child with mental health problems? How can you take care of yourself while caring for your loved one?

Looking after children with mental illness can be a difficult task. Seeing your child suffering can evoke a lot of grief, and often parents feel shame or guilt as a result. Since mental health problems are caused by adverse life experiences, we may feel that we have failed as parents by subjecting our children to traumas or not being able to protect them from it. These feelings may paralyse us, preventing us from taking steps that are essential for the wellbeing of our children. Therefore, one of the first steps in caregiving as a parent is accepting what has happened and beginning to focus on what you can do to heal your children.

Another aspect that may be particularly challenging is the social stigma that the family can face due to the illness of the child. This may increase the feelings of shame experienced by the parents and may make them want to hide the child from public, restricting their freedom. This can prove extremely damaging for the child and prevent them from recovering. It is important not to fall into this trap and ensure we are providing our children an environment that will enable their recovery. For more information pertaining to how we can help our children who are suffering, visit the supporting sufferers section.

Caring for children with mental illness can also take a toll on your own health and wellbeing, due to the stressful nature of the process. Therefore, it is extremely important that while looking after them, you also look after your own health. For more information, visit the self-care for caregivers section.

Are you finding it difficult to care for someone who is addicted to substances? How can you help them help themselves?

There are many different types of addictions. People can be addicted to legal (tobacco and prescription medication) or illegal (alcohol, cannabis, heroin and cocaine) substances. As discussed in the resilience section, substance abuse is one of the most common harmful coping mechanisms. It is used by sufferers to provide quick relief from distress but can prove harmful in the long run. There is also a difference between substance use and substance abuse. While using substances from time to time may be alright, becoming dependent on them is problematic and is said to be abuse.

Some signs of addiction include:

• The sufferer is using substances on a daily basis.
• The sufferer is spending a substantial portion of their time and energy on obtaining and using the substance, taking away time and energy from other activities.
• The sufferer is using more and more of the substance to get the same desired effect, for example if previously they consumed 3 drinks to get a buzz, they now consumes 6 drinks to get the same level of buzz.
• The sufferer gets withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, sadness or lethargy when they abstain from the substance.

As a caregiver, you may be very concerned but may not know how to help the sufferer. The first step in caring for sufferers of addiction is to care for ourselves because we need to deal with our feelings of worry and disappointment. To learn more visit the caregiver self-care section. We can then must try to understand the underlying sources of distress in the sufferer that are leading to the substance abuse. Remember, it is important to avoid blame, judgment and criticism of the sufferer, as this may drive them away. Instead you can improve your relationship with the sufferer by practicing compassionate listening. This may help the sufferer open up to you about the sources of their distress.

The last and most important step is to encourage the sufferer to seek professional help to address the addiction. Rather than forcing sufferers to stop the substance abuse, i.e. removing their harmful coping skill and leaving them without any coping skills, we must help them to start using helpful coping skills. To learn more visit the supporting sufferers section.

Are you looking after someone who is engaged in self harming or suicidal behaviour? How can you help them?

While everyone experiences periods of distress, for some these periods are more severe than for others. This can be due to mental illness or the occurrence of major traumatic events in the life of the individual. Sometimes, when distress becomes too extreme, those suffering may view harming themselves as the only immediate way to ease their distress. Self harm doesn’t necessarily mean that an individual will physically hurt themselves, but it can be through other means such as abusing substances, having an unhealthy diet etc.  It is also important to understand why people engage in self harm for us to be able to help them.

As mentioned in the resilience section, self-harm is a common harmful coping skill that people use to deal with distress and there are various reasons why people use it. It can be that by inflicting pain on their body, sufferers hope to distract themselves from the tremendous internal suffering that they are undergoing. In severe mental illness, when sufferers may start feeling dead or numb inside, external pain may help them feel alive. Some sufferers also self harm to punish themselves due to the guilt they feel for past actions they may have committed. When distress becomes overwhelming, then suicide may be chosen as a way to escape from the despair, by putting an end to all experience.

Some signs of a sufferer engaged in self harm or suicidal behaviour include talking about death from time to time, mentioning plans to harm themselves or commit suicide, having marks on parts of their body as a result of self-harm or becoming socially withdrawn or isolating themselves.

If we feel that someone’s life may be at risk or irreversible harm is about to occur it is crucial that we do not wait but directly engage in the following measures:

• Build a rapport with the sufferer and show that you are there for them by practicing compassionate listening. If they mention any plans of self-harm or suicide, then try to investigate why they want to do it rather than reacting judgmentally.
• Assess the risk and the likelihood of harm and take steps to decrease it. For instance, if the sufferer mentions cutting, check and remove any blades or sharp objects within their reach, if possible.
• Build a social support net for them by informing the person closest to them who can observe the threat of self harm, and intervene if required.
• If the sufferer has any past psychiatric history, try to find out more about it, i.e. whether they are on any medications (which they may have missed), have any mental health professionals they visit or have any previous history of self-harm or suicide attempts. If they are seeking treatment, then you should encourage the sufferer to go to their professional or find a new one if they are dissatisfied with their present one.
• If the sufferer is very close to engaging in self harm or suicide, take them to the emergency department of a hospital with inpatient psychiatric facilities.

If the aforementioned steps are taken in a timely manner, they may help in saving a sufferer’s life.

What can you do to help your loved ones suffering from mental illness? How can you care for sufferers?

While people suffering from mental illness need professional help, support from their loved ones is also an essential part of their recovery. The quality of our relationships play an important role in determining our health. People with mental illness often have poor social health since their illness causes a breakdown of their relationships. While the sufferers themselves must take an initiative to improve their relationships, their loved ones can also act as caregivers and provide them with the necessary support.

Caregivers can be parents, siblings, friends, partners or the children of sufferers. Before providing care, it is important for caregivers to understand that caring for sufferers can be a very stressful experience, and so they must take care of themselves so that they can look after their loved ones effectively. For more information visit the caring for caregivers section.

Some steps that caregivers can take which can be helpful include:

• Educating yourself about mental illness is helpful because in order to deal with a problem it is essential to first understand its nature and its causes. While doing so, it is important to look for the right resources because there is a lot of misinformation about mental illness which can cause us to lose hope. For more information, visit the mental illness section.
• Viewing sufferers as human beings first and foremost, and patients of mental illness as second. It is important for caregivers not to label sufferers as “crazy” because this can increase the stigma they are experiencing and impede their journey of recovery.
• Encouraging sufferers to seek professional help and becoming familiar with the different treatment options that exist. Caregivers should also learn more about the medications that sufferers are taking (if any) since this can help them understand their side-effects and impact on the sufferers.
• Giving sufferers the freedom to make their own decisions about treatment and respecting their privacy. One of the most common causes of mental health problems is the lack of a sense of freedom among sufferers. This is worsened when caregivers assume that sufferers are unable to make the right decisions and impose their own decisions on them. Even though this may seem difficult, it is crucial for caregivers to give sufferers space to help boost their self esteem.
• Treating sufferers compassionately and being a source of support for them. This includes using compassionate listening to ease the distress of sufferers. Loneliness is one of the most common symptoms of mental illness and just being there for a sufferer can be a great motivator for recovery. This includes assuring the sufferers that the caregiver is there to comfort them, and not to judge their actions, or decrease the significance of their suffering.

How can caregiving for someone suffering from mental illness affect you? How can caregivers practice self-care?

Caregiving for someone with a mental illness can be a difficult task. Caring for our loved ones when they are unwell can leave us feeling exhausted, worried or lonely. In some cases caregiving may be a long term commitment, making it even more stressful. It is important that while caring for sufferers, we also look after ourselves or our own health may worsen. Besides being bad for ourselves, this would also prevent us from effectively looking after sufferers. Our own stability is a source of strength which can enable us to be there for the people we love.

Some steps that caregivers can use to practice self-care include:

• Taking time out for yourself when caring for sufferers, may seem difficult, but it is extremely important. You need to recharge your batteries regularly in order to continuously share your energy with others. Here it can be helpful to remind yourself of what you enjoyed doing before you became a caregiver, such as meeting friends, playing some sports or engaging in other hobbies.
• Practicing acceptance, when caring for sufferers, can help us deal with the feelings of guilt, blame, fear and confusion that accompany having a loved one suffering from mental illness. When confronted with life’s difficulties such as a loved one’s mental illness, we often ask ourselves questions such as “Why them?”, “Why us?” or “What could we have done differently?” No amount of guilt can change the past and no amount of worrying can change the future. Therefore, we must accept the situation as it is and focus on things that are in our control.
• Developing and maintaining a social support network. Think about the people in your life you can turn to for support. You may have a family member who helps you relax, or a friend who is good at taking your mind off things. There may be times when support from family or friends may not be available or enough, in those times it is important to seek professional help. Since other caregivers may be in a good position to understand what you are going through, it could also be worthwhile to connect with them.

Are you a child looking after a parent or guardian with mental illness? How can you take care of yourself while caring for your loved one?

Taking care of sufferers can be a difficult task, especially if you are a child taking care of a parent suffering from mental illness. There are a number of ways in which a parent’s mental illness can affect you.

An unstable home environment can make it difficult for you to focus on your work/studies and your job/academic performance may be negatively affected. A parent who is suffering may not always be in control of their feelings and behaviour. This may cause them to behave inappropriately towards you which may be frightening and upsetting. Some parents may also be unable to work because of their illness which can put a lot of responsibility on you especially if you have to become the breadwinner. Spending time caring for you parents may cause you to neglect your own social needs, which may make it difficult to make and maintain friendships. Eventually all of this can start affecting our health negatively.

Here are some steps you can take to help yourself while caring for your parent:

• Practicing self-care is the most important step because if you don’t look after yourself then you will not be able to look after your parent. For more information visit the caregiver self-care section.
• Don’t blame yourself for your parent’s changes in moods. It is important to remember that you are not responsible for your parent’s behaviour.
• If your school/work performance is being negatively affected due to circumstances at home then share your story with trusted teachers/colleagues.
• Find time for friends and fun activities. Being absent from home for a while can cause anxiety, anger or sadness for your parents while they are ill, so spending time with friends or taking part in fun activities can lead to feelings of guilt. However, these activities are necessary for your stability and therefore necessary.

For more information about how to help your parent please see the supporting sufferers section.