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.