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.