What can you do when your own family brushes aside mental illnesses that you and your siblings are fighting with such as depression anxiety and OCD?

Answer 1

If you feel that you or your siblings needs psychriatric help, then you should speak to a psychologist or psychiatrist. When you speak to either of these professionals, everything said within the session is completely confidential. If you or one of your siblings have a mental disorder, it is always better to ask for help sooner than later. My family didnt recognize that I had some issues until I was 15-16 years old, and when I was placed in a mental institution for a week when I was 17. If you ignore mental illness, it does not go away, it only gets worse. If you need more information about trying to get help, please feel free to contact me at the above email address. I am the office manager for a psychologist. Mental Illness can be serious if left untreated, and everything is confidential, the only way your neighbors or anyone besides immediate family, your doctor, and your pharmasist will be able to know is if you tell them. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions that you think I may be able to answer. If you need help, then ask for it.

You are doing all the right things to help yourself and it's better late than never. I too discovered the same thing in my family as you did, but WE BROKE THE CHAIN!

Our parents did nothing wrong. They came from an era where "you pulled up your socks," and "busy hands are happy hands." They were taught not to talk about mental illness. If you research back into the 40's up to the 60's you will see there is an instinctive fear of mental illness and not as many psychologists or psychiatrists during this time. There is sure a boom of them now.

Your parents love you, and all they see is strange things going on they have never experienced themselves ... you, actually seeing a doctor and on medications, so they worry. They are terrified that you will blame them for everything that has happened to you. You need to talk to them and tell them that you are an adult and that many of the problems you have were decisions of your own. Even though this may not be true it takes the burden off your parents and you may get some peace.

Don't forget that just like 2 alcoholics hanging around together for years and having a blast and one suddenly obstaining from alcohol, the other alcoholic becomes angry and tries to lure the person giving up the alcohol back into the vicious web from once they came. They miss that person, but also, they know deep inside themselves they should be getting help themselves, but are too frightened to do so. This leaves them frustrated. Blame is the worst offender and that is 99% of the fear your parents are experiencing now. They were brought up that it was always the parent's fault.

Just do what you are doing (save yourself) and either your family will see how determined you are and accept it, or, unfortunately, you may have stay away from them off and on.

I can't tell you how proud I am of you for taking such a big step. It took guts. Hang in there ... you're doing just great!

The old saying which holds that "We can pick our friends, but our family we're stuck with." is true. Some families are helpful and tolerant and supportive. Others are not. Here's a quote from a mental health professional that I have found to be true, and useful. "In some families, the best you can hope for is to break a basement window, sneak out, and run like hell." You must do what's best for you, as you perceive it. Family may mean well, and still not be helpful. Take care of yourself.