I get emails and messages now and then from people asking what to do about their mentally ill loved one. They want to convince their loved one to get help for a mental illness.
These people are in the unenviable position of watching someone they love be sick. And the unfortunate thing about mental illness is that when you confront it, it doesn’t like it very much.
You are trying to tell someone their brain is sick and expecting their sick brain to comprehend and agree with that.
It’s kind of a tall order.
And the thoughts I have on the matter don’t really make the issue sparkle either. Because let’s face it, the person either listens to you or they don’t, and really, they have the right to do either one. Here’s a bit of reality on convincing a loved one to get help for a mental illness.
And for the record, even if you don’t immediately succeed, many of us first hear about our mental illness from a friend, but sometimes that takes a while to sink in.
Once you’ve read this article, you might also want to check out this book for many more ideas about convincing someone to get help for a mental illness.
I have just discovered this wonderful forum and have read until my eyes burn! Is there any advice for how a mom deals with an of age (20) child who almost succeeded in killing herself? She lives an hour and a half away and has been doing very well these past 4 months since her attempt – almost too well. I live in almost constant fear – not being able to reach her on the phone…flashbacks to cleaning her apartment (looked liked the Mansons had a party)….what I should be doing differently…..we are both bi-polar and have no other support but each other….
Hi Natasha, just thought you’d want to know that the link doesn’t work any more.
Thanks Eurika – I fixed it :)
– Natasha Tracy