Difficult Choices Need Good Decisions Knowing the right thing to do for a loved one who has a mood disorder is seldom easy, and many of us who find this difficult choose to do nothing at all. Doing nothing sometimes may be our best course of action, but there may be times when inaction is the worst path we could possibly take. Consider the following situations that companions, family members or caregivers are often asked, or even constrained, to deal with: Your loved one, who has been feeling good for the past several months, announces that they have stopped taking their medications because they believed they no longer needed them. Your loved one is not sleeping. They’re up all hours, drinking lots of coffee, watching TV, listening to music--any number of activities instead of getting their needed rest. Friends and acquaintances of your loved one are not calling or coming around any more, and he or she is not going out. Days go by without your loved one doing much of anything. They’re isolating. Something seems different about your loved one’s behavior (their speech, attitude, actions, etc.). You’re afraid they may be self-medicating but you know you’ll upset them by bringing up your concerns. Many activities that were helping your loved one successfully manage his or her illness have stopped. Support groups, psychotherapy, exercise programs--many activities that used to be a part of his or her recovery are no longer occurring. When our loved one has issues that we are concerned about, we want to help. But it’s not a comfortable position to be in. How do we do this without our loved one feeling that we are interfering in their life? Perhaps we’re being codependent again, something that others have reproached us about before. But deep, down inside we have a feeling that our loved one may actually be seeking help and guidance, so how can we decide to not get involved? If we have problems deciding what to do to best help a loved one with a serious brain illness, it is a good idea (many say it’s essential) to get some help in making good decisions. There are mental health professionals trained to help companions in these matters: psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, licensed counselors, nurse psychotherapists, family therapists, pastoral counselors, and other professionals. Without even realizing it, a loved one may be reaching out for help. Companions need to know this, and they need to know what to do. It is essential. surfcitypress.org/
Posted on: Sat, 22 Jun 2013 03:23:15 +0000